scholarly journals CREATING A VIRTUAL CHATBOT TO SCAFFOLD SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING EDUCATION

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilya Kreynin ◽  
MohammedShabbar Manek ◽  
Chirag Variawa
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Positive Reinforcement ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Habit Formation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Reflective Journaling ◽  
Noticeable Effect ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Social Proof

A habit is a consistent repetition of a behaviour in a stable context, making the behaviour automatic over time. Strong study and wellness habits, such as reflective journaling, predict academic success in undergraduate students. Scalable digital solutions could support positive habit formation in first year undergraduate engineering students. To test this idea, four versions of an SMS chatbot that enables reflective journaling via text message were developed. One version acted as a control, and the other three each implemented a habit driver - reminders to journal, positive reinforcement upon journal completion, and automatic reporting of journaling adherence to an anonymous partner (social proof). Students interested in reflective journaling (N=28) used the chatbot for 28 days. Study results showed that positive reinforcement had no noticeable effect, reminders improved journaling adherence but reduced habit formation, and social proof improved both adherence and habit formation. These results indicate that chatbots can be effective, accessible, and scalable tools in scaffolding positive habit development in first year undergraduate engineering students.

Engineering Innovation in Biomedical Nanotechnology

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eniko T. Enikov ◽  
Zoltán Szabó ◽  
Rein Anton ◽  
Jesse Skoch ◽  
Whitney Sheen
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
First Year ◽  
Nanoscale Science And Engineering ◽  
Training Project ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Nanoscale Science ◽  
College Of Engineering ◽  
Student Projects ◽  
Institutional Challenges

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.

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

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasha Gollish ◽  
Bryan Karneyc
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Online Search ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Course Syllabus

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.

Top down, bottom up and classroom reading anxiety and their effect on reading performance of undergraduate engineering students in Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 590-603
Author(s):  
Ashfaque Hussain Soomro ◽  
Imran Khan ◽  
Muhammad Younus
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Reading Performance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering ◽  
Reading Anxiety ◽  
The Impact

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.

scholarly journals Understanding Aspirations of First Year Undergraduate Engineering Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (0) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Pramod Shahabadkar ◽  
Ajinkya Joshi ◽  
Vaishali Lele ◽  
Vilas Patil
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering

scholarly journals Can Students' Attitudes and Behaviors be Changed by Educational Interventions?

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (29) ◽  
pp. 14-33
Author(s):  
Vidar Gynnild ◽  
John Sølve Tyssedal
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
First Year ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Attitudes And Behaviors ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Students Attitudes

This study examined engineering students’ attitudes and behaviors in a first-year Calculus course. Not  surprisingly, High School mathematics and physics grades correlated closely with self-reported Calculus grades, and a student survey conducted four years apart demonstrated almost identical attitudes and behaviors despite the introduction of a range of measures aimed to enhance learning. The better the grades, the fairer students deemed it to be, and the less of in-depth learning, the poorer the grades. The higher the ambitions, and the more active and hardworking, the better the grades. Academic success factors included an ability to keep pace with progression, and a commitment to advance learning. The minimal impact of interventions appears as surprising; however, this study brings perspectives to make sense of such data, also capable of producing greater future successes.

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