scholarly journals Competencies Required of Engineering Students Conducting International Projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Chetan S. Sankar
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Realist Synthesis ◽  
Research Centers ◽  
International Projects ◽  
Multi Media ◽  
Synthesis Methodology ◽  
Technology Domain

Given the importance of students working in international environments, this study identifies the important competencies that engineering students need so that they could work effectively. The list of competencies was identified using a realist synthesis methodology. The context of the research was thirty-seven U.S. students who worked on twenty-two international projects with companies and research centers in India. The outcome was development of multi-media case studies based on the projects. The students spent a semester preparing for the project, eight weeks working on the project, and a semester developing the case studies. Each project was evaluated and students interviewed to identify the competencies that were utilized by the students. Analysis of these evaluations showed that successful projects trained the students to be competent in the technology domain of the project and encouraged them to communicate well with their counterparts.

scholarly journals A New Educational Thermodynamic Software to Promote Critical Thinking in Youth Engineering Students

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Romero Di Biasi ◽  
Guillermo Eliecer Valencia ◽  
Luis Guillermo Obregon
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Graphical User Interfaces ◽  
P Value ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Level Of Significance

This article presents the application of a new educational thermodynamic software called MOLECULARDISORDER, based on graphical user interfaces created in Matlab® to promote critical thinking in youth engineering students, by means of the energy and entropy balance application in different systems. Statistics of the results obtained by the youth students are shown to determine the influence of the software in a regular course in thermodynamics to promote critical thinking. Two case studies were done by the students, where parameters such as temperature of the fluid and metal surfaces, pressure of the system, mass of the fluid and solid, volume, and velocity of the fluid are used to obtain output variables such as enthalpy, entropy, changes in entropy, entropy production, and energy transfer in the chosen system. Four cognitive skills were considered to evaluate the cognitive competencies of interpreting, arguing and proposing, and interacting with the different graphical user interfaces; these cognitive skills (CS) were argumentative claim (CS1), modeling (CS2), interpreting data/information (CS3), and organization (CS4). Student´s T-test was used to compare the degree of difficulty of each criterion. The case studies were evaluated first without using the software and then with the use of the software to determine the significant effect of the software quantitatively. A population of 130 youth students was taken to perform the statistical analysis with a level of significance of 5%. With the help of the software, the students obtained an improvement when performing case study 1 since the p-value obtained was 0.03, indicating that there are significant differences between the results before and after taking the software. The overall averages of the grades for case study 1 had an increase after using the software from 3.74 to 4.04. The overall averages for case study 2 were also higher after taking the software from 3.44 to 3.75.

scholarly journals Scaling up social innovation: a meta-synthesis

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 134-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
RODRIGO LUIZ MORAIS-DA-SILVA ◽  
ADRIANA ROSELI WÜNSCH TAKAHASHI ◽  
ANDREA PAULA SEGATTO
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Expansion Phase ◽  
Inductive Research ◽  
Social Innovations ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Synthesis Methodology ◽  
Methodological Aspects

ABSTRACT Purpose: This paper aims to analyze how features raised in the case studies in the field of social innovation, from the meta-synthesis methodology proposed by Hoon (2013), indicate factors that promote social innovation scalability Originality/gap/relevance/implications: The number of publications on SI, despite an increase perceived, is still limited. Consequently, researches dedicated to understand the scalability of the process of SI are still scarce, thus constituting a gap research. Key methodological aspects: To achieve the objective of this research, we followed the eight meta-synthesis steps proposed by Hoon (2013) which is an exploratory-inductive research design for synthesis of primary data collected through case studies whose primary purpose is to build theory. It was analyzed 66 articles identified in the Web of Science database, nine of them were selected to join this meta-synthesis. Summary of key results: The findings of this research can be summarized in the concept proposed "environment favourable to the scalability of a SI" with features of the internal environment, divided between aspects of the entrepreneur and the organization, and settings of the external environment, mediated (or not) by a bridge organization. Key considerations/conclusions: The findings of this study advance the SI literature in two main points: Concept proposition of "environment conducive to the scalability of a SI" and to draw attention to the field of study on the promoting factors of continuity and growth of a SI. As for the practical contributions, the results of the research can help social innovations managers in the expansion phase of its operations, suggesting some elements to consider.

scholarly journals INTERNATIONAL FIELD SCHOOL FOR FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENTS

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Dick ◽  
Thai Son Nguyen ◽  
Mackenzie Sillem
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Student Response ◽  
First Year ◽  
Barriers To Learning ◽  
Intercultural Effectiveness ◽  
Early Introduction ◽  
Field School ◽  
International Projects ◽  
On Line ◽  
Field Schools

Engineering graduates increasingly find that they are part of teams that draw a multi-disciplinary membership across a broad range of cultural, socio-economic, and linguistic backgrounds. Although engineering students often have the opportunity to participate in international projects (e.g. co-operative education programs, study abroad), formal international field schools are not typical within engineering curricula, particularly at the first- and second-year level. To provide an early introduction to intercultural perspectives, first-year engineering students at Vancouver Island University (VIU) participated in a field school at Tra Vinh University (TVU) in Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam over a period of three weeks. This field school consisted of a number of cultural and engineering activities, and involved pairing of students at both TVU and VIU for the duration of the experience. To measure student response during the field school, participating VIU students completed the on-line Intercultural Effectiveness Scale questionnaire pre- and post-experience. Students at both institutions also completed reflection exercises throughout the three-week period. This feedback suggested each student pairing continuously developed skills necessary to overcome linguistic, cultural, and technical barriers to learning and growing over their time together. Students described an enhanced understanding of self, and an increased likelihood to further participate in intercultural experiences. 

scholarly journals Using Realist Synthesis to Develop an Evidence Base from an Identified Data Set on Enablers and Barriers for Alcohol and Drug Program Implementation

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Hunter ◽  
Lynda Berends ◽  
Sarah MacLean
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Realist Synthesis ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Alcohol And Drug Use ◽  
Government Organisation ◽  
Synthesis Methodology ◽  
High Level

The purpose of this paper is to show how “realist synthesis” methodology (Pawson, 2002) was adapted to review a large sample of community based projects addressing alcohol and drug use problems. Our study drew on a highly varied sample of 127 projects receiving funding from a national non-government organisation in Australia between 2002 and 2008. Open and pattern coding led to the identification of 10 barrier and nine enabler mechanisms influencing project implementation across the sample. Eight case studies (four demonstrating successful implementation; four demonstrating less than successful implementation) were used for depth exploration of these mechanisms. High level theories were developed, from these findings, on implementation effectiveness in projects addressing alcohol and other drug use problems.

scholarly journals Mining Engineers Training: Case Study Method

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 ◽  
pp. 04033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana Kolomiets ◽  
Elena Medvedeva ◽  
Alena Perevalova
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Underground Mining ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Open Pit ◽  
International Exchange ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Technological Modernization

Currently, the minerals’ extractive industries are going through a deep technological modernization, with a characteristic expansion of international exchange of knowledge and know-how. The unification of the equipment used in open-pit and underground mining, the global spread of advanced mining technologies increases the importance of the linguistic competencies of mining engineers. At the same time, the specifics of training mining engineers is the uniqueness of situations in the extraction and processing of mineral resources, which actualizes the case study method in the training of mining engineers. The paper provides a description of the term «case study» and its basic characteristics and principles of application. The content is based on the authors’ own experience of mining engineers in case studies while teaching English. Some examples of case studies for mining engineering students studying English are presented. The paper notes the effectiveness of implementing case study method and shows its benefits for introducing in the process of mining engineers training. In addition to listing positive effects of the method for developing skills necessary for competitive specialists such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, collaboration, etc., the authors mention possible problems that are likely to occur while using this method as well.

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