Search

Contribution: This article features a systematic literature review with the objective of presenting a study that reflects the current scenario of research on the cognitive load theory (CLT) in the domain of teaching and learning computer programming. Background: Computer programming is a highly cognitive skill, requiring mastering multiple competencies, and recognized as being difficult to learn, for this reason, the cognitive load (CL) in the learner’s working memory emerged as an influential concept, making CLT one of the most common theories in computing education research. Research Questions: What are the approaches that relate CLT to teaching and learning computer programming? What CLT-related concepts are covered? What evidence is reported with respect to this context? Methodology: Following a formal protocol, a survey was performed for papers linking CLT to teaching and learning programming published between 2010 and 2020. The selection of papers was based on a set of criteria established to drive the selection process, including alignment with the research questions and paper quality assessment. Findings: The approaches applied in the papers are based on measuring the CL; through instructional design based on the development or use of resources or tools, a range of different pedagogy strategies and the CLT concepts. With respect to the concepts, the subjective measurement technique and worked example effect are the most commonly deployed. As far as the evidence reported, the better part is related to the worked example effect and measuring CLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides a high-level review of the current state of techno-pedagogical design in Augmented Reality Learning Experiences (ARLEs). The review is based on a rubric constructed from the Meaningful Learning with ICT framework and the Orchestration Load reduction framework, providing, respectively, a view of primarily student- and primarily teacher-focused dimensions in ARLEs. Fifty-nine ARLEs are reviewed based on an extensive search for papers based on both previous work in the field as well as academic databases. Exemplars for specific situations are provided as well as a correlation analysis between dimensions and an overall view of the maturity of the field in terms of relevant techno-pedagogical considerations, giving ARLE practitioners practical information on the current state of the field as well as assistance in better positioning their future ARLE design efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a comparison of online to traditional face-to-face delivery of undergraduate digital systems material. Two specific components of digital content were compared and evaluated: a sophomore logic circuits course with no laboratory, and a microprocessor laboratory component of a junior-level computer systems course. For each of these, a baseline level of student understanding was evaluated when they were being taught using traditional, face-to-face delivery. The course and lab component were then converted to being fully online, and the level of student understanding was again measured. In both cases, the same purpose-developed assessment tools were used to carry out the measurement of understanding. This paper presents the details of how the course components were converted to online delivery, including a discussion of the technology used to accomplish remote access of the electronic test equipment used in the laboratory. A comparison is then presented between the control and the experimental groups, including a statistical analysis of whether the delivery approach impacted student learning. Finally, student satisfaction is discussed, and instructor observations are given for the successful remote delivery of this type of class and laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In a paper by Guruswami et al., it was shown that the length $n$ of a $q$ -ary linear locally recoverable code with distance $d \geqslant 5$ is upper bounded by $O(dq^{3})$. Thus, it is a challenging problem to construct $q$ -ary locally recoverable codes with distance $d \geqslant 5$ and length approaching the upper bound. The same paper also gave an algorithmic construction of $q$ -ary locally recoverable codes with locality $r$ and length $n=\Omega _{r}(q^{2})$ for $d=5$ and 6, where $\Omega _{r}$ means that the implicit constant depends on locality $r$. In this paper, we present an explicit construction of $q$ -ary locally recoverable codes of distance $d= 5$ and 6 via binary constant weight codes. It turns out that 1) our construction is simpler and more explicit and 2) the length of our codes is greater than previously known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) adoption provides an opportunity for high-technology-based, value-added processes and requires an infrastructural transformation and more qualified employee involvement. The I4.0 literature contains researches presenting an awareness, guidance, and complementary activities for an I4.0 concept. However, there is no detailed study focusing on the challenges and implementation problems in I4.0 adoption. Hence, the purpose of this paper is determining the I4.0 adoption challenges and analyzing these barriers based on the expert opinions. The methodology within the scope of this paper contains the literature review, interviews with experts who are responsible for the I4.0 projects at Bosch, analyzing the determined barriers by interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and cross impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis. The barriers are investigated in a structural base, the relationships between these challenges have been identified, and finally how barriers affect each other has been presented in order to discover the root cause triggering the other factors. An I4.0 practitioner can infer from these two analysis results that which challenge should be focused first in order to reach a solution. Additionally, an ISM case study results provides a general view to the I4.0 adoption process. A practitioner can also decide on what to do first by criticizing the results so that they can reduce the negative effects of the adoption process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper introduces the real-world limitations and non-technical aspects of power electronics (PEs) projects to students through innovative tutorial activities. Background: Many electrical engineering curricula offer a PE courses (PECs) for third- or fourth-year undergraduate students. Prior research on PEs education mainly focused on improving students’ experimental skills through developing practical experiments, laboratory activities, and problem/project-based learning. An instructional approach that instead employs real-world knowledge and skills is worth evaluating. Intended Outcomes: Students should be able to consider real-world technical and non-technical limitations when applying theory to design PE circuits and converters, and be able to select and carry out appropriate tests to troubleshoot circuits. Application Design: Prior research on engineering education emphasized the importance of introducing real-world limitations to the students as part of their curriculum. This paper suggests that the tutorial activities presented in a PEC can help students acquire skills in designing and troubleshooting a circuit or system according to desired technical aspects, real-world limitations, and available data. Findings: Evidence of the validity of this approach in a PEC at two Australian universities, over four academic years, is provided. Students receiving the new tutorial activities had percentage scores some 10–15 points higher than those who had traditional tutorials. Another evaluation reveals the students’ vibrant participation in the activities during the new tutorial sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper provides evidence for the benefits of pair programming early in the curriculum on student performance later in the curriculum. It also confirms the short term benefits of partnerships at scale. Background: Engineers often work in teams, both in industry and in academia. Previous work has shown that partnered programming yields higher student performance during the course in which students partner. Research Questions: This paper investigates the long term effects of early curriculum pair programming on student performance in a following course. Specifically, do student partnerships impact long-term student performance in a later course? Are previously observed effects of partner programming robust to a larger sample size? Methodology: This quantitative analysis examines 2468 students in an introductory computer science sequence at a large, public research institution. The data set comprises two academic years and includes partnership participation, project and exam scores, withdraw rates, time between courses, GPA, and gender. Findings: A positive relationship is observed between partnering in an introductory course, and higher project scores in a future course, where all students worked alone ( $N = 1003$ ). Students with the lowest GPAs experienced the greatest benefits. Additionally, results with a large population of students confirm the observations of previous research, showing that partnerships are associated with an overall positive grade impact during the course in which the partnership takes place ( $N = 2468$ ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper illustrates how to design and implement curricula in terms of the combined use of flipped learning and inquiry-based learning in an engineering course. Background: Elementary courses in engineering schools are conventional and foundational, and involve a considerable amount of knowledge. Throughout such courses, students are also expected to develop insight, which cannot be obtained by only listening to instructors. Having relevant discussions is also difficult for most instructors. Intended Outcomes: The combined use of flipped learning and inquiry-based learning would be beneficial to broaden student achievement. Application Design: Based on an epistemological approach about knowledge and knowing, this paper applies the combined use of flipped learning and inquiry-based learning to enhance student knowledge and advance ways of thinking on a System Modeling and Control course. Findings: The extended learning time and the collective responsibility for learning are discussed as critical issues in applying the combined use of flipped learning and inquiry-based learning in an engineering school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results obtained for the affective engagement of students with systems thinking (ST). In prior work, the authors have developed and validated a questionnaire instrument for measuring affective engagement of undergraduate engineering students with ST. This paper presents results obtained when the questionnaire was used with undergraduate students. Two surveys with different versions of the questionnaire, one using positive grammar questions only and the other using a mix of positive and negative constructs, were used to measure the students’ engagement with ST and its relationship with gender, age, and work experience. Each questionnaire version was applied to a different sample, the first, 186 participants, completed the positive grammar version, and, the second group of 163 completed the mixed version. The results show that participants in both studies valued ST in each of the three dimensions of the ST construct. Statistical tests confirmed no significant gender differences in either study. Student engagement with the practical dimension of ST was shown to vary, with statistical significance, with groups of age, years of work experience, and country of the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the long-term outcomes of a general education course on digital technologies. Through conducting cross-sectional and longitudinal interviews with students, the authors found that non-engineering students who took this course had notable noncognitive, long-term outcomes. A primary focus of the work reported in this paper was the long-term outcome of self-efficacy. The authors also investigated the sources of self-efficacy for the students in the course. The primary sources of self-efficacy in the course were verbal persuasion and mastery experience. Faculty and teaching assistants were key sources for verbal persuasion. Some students exhibited a “success paradox”: They felt successful in the course even though they failed to meet their initial expectations. The authors also found that a mastery experience, such as working on a final project, can still feel successful when it is mediated by verbal persuasion. This paper can guide faculty in designing or adapting courses to promote student self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a family of $[{q}^{2}-1, 4, {q}^{2}-{q}-2]$ cyclic codes over ${\mathbb F}_{{q}}$ meeting the Griesmer bound is presented. Their duals are $[{q}^{2}-1,{q}^{2}-5,4]$ almost MDS codes and are optimal with respect to the sphere-packing bound. The ${q}_{0}$ -ary subfield codes of this family of cyclic codes are also investigated, where ${q}_{0}$ is any prime power such that q is power of ${q}_{0}$. Some of the subfield codes are optimal and some have the best known parameters. It is shown that the subfield codes are equivalent to a family of primitive BCH codes and thus the parameters of the BCH codes are solved. The duals of the subfield codes are also optimal with respect to the sphere-packing bound. A family of $[{q}^{2}, 4, {q}^{2}-{q}-1]$ linear codes over ${\mathbb F}_{{q}}$ meeting the Griesmer bound is presented. Their duals are $[{q}^{2},{q}^{2}-4,4]$ almost MDS codes and are optimal with respect to the sphere-packing bound. The ${q}_{0}$ -ary subfield codes of this family of linear codes are also investigated, where ${q}_{0}$ is any prime power such that q is power of ${q}_{0}$. Five infinite families of 2-designs are also constructed with three families of linear codes of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Locally repairable codes with more than one recovering set are demanded in the application to distributed storage. For each failure node (or disk), it is desired to have as many recovering sets as possible. In this paper, we make use of automorphisms of rational function fields to construct locally repairable codes with multiple recovering sets. Although we focus on two recovering sets, our construction can be easily generalized to the case of multiple recovering sets. In particular, we obtain a class of locally repairable codes with minimum distance only 1 less than the upper bound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Locally repairable codes, or locally recoverable codes (LRC for short), are designed for applications in distributed and cloud storage systems. Similar to classical block codes, there is an important bound called the Singleton-type bound for locally repairable codes. In this paper, an optimal locally repairable code refers to a block code achieving this Singleton-type bound. Like classical MDS codes, optimal locally repairable codes carry some very nice combinatorial structures. Since the introduction of the Singleton-type bound for locally repairable codes, people have put tremendous effort into construction of optimal locally repairable codes. There are a few constructions of optimal locally repairable codes in the literature. Most of these constructions are realized via either combinatorial or algebraic structures. In this paper, we apply automorphism group of the rational function field to construct optimal locally repairable codes by considering the group action on projective lines over finite fields. Due to various subgroups of the projective general linear group, we are able to construct optimal locally repairable codes with flexible locality as well as smaller alphabet size comparable to the code length. In particular, we produce new families of $q$ -ary locally repairable codes, including codes of length $q+1$ via cyclic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recursion is one of the most difficult programming topics for students. In this paper, an instructional method is proposed to enhance students' understanding of recursion tracing. The proposal is based on the use of rules to translate linear recursion algorithms into equivalent, iterative ones. The paper has two main contributions: the instructional method itself, and its evaluation, which is based on previous works of other authors on mental models of recursion. As a result, an enhancement was measured in the viability of mental models exhibited by students (both for linear and multiple recursion), but no significant improvement was detected in their skills for designing recursive algorithms. Evidence was also obtained of the fact that many students with (relatively) viable mental models for linear recursion have unviable mental models for multiple recursion. Finally, it was noticed that many students adopt inaccurate mental models if those models are adequate to handle the given algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents several methods for motivating students taking a power system protection (PSP) course. The paper reviews the laboratory activities developed for the PSP course at Curtin University, Australia; these methods are applicable and can be used for PSP course instruction at any institution. These activities were developed to improve the learning experience of the electrical engineering undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in this course. Initially, the PSP course at Curtin University consisted of lectures and tutorials accompanied by two sessions of software-based simulations and one session of laboratory demonstration. To motivate the students, several computer-based simulations and practical laboratory experiments were developed. PSCAD and ETAP power system analysis software tools are introduced and used to demonstrate the performance and coordination of different protection relays from steady-state and dynamic points of view. Also, a practical setup composed of a LabVolt power system simulator and industrial relays is used to carry out several practical experiments. The experiments help students observe the performance of protection systems for transformers and induction motors during faults and abnormal operating conditions. Finally, the concept of relay testing and commissioning is introduced by relay standalone experiments using a secondary injection relay test set. The results of these activities were evaluated according to the students’ satisfaction, comments, total scores, and interest in PSP. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Power electronics is a fast-developing technology within the electrical engineering field. This paper presents the results and experiences gained from applying design-oriented project-based learning to switch-mode power supply design in a power electronics course at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Project-based learning (PBL) is known to be a motivating problem-centered teaching method that not only places students at the core of teaching and learning activities but also gives them the ability to transfer their acquired scientific knowledge into industrial practice. Students choose a specification to implement from various power converter application projects, such as a fuel cell power conditioning converter, a light-emitting diode (LED) driver or a battery charger. The students select the topology, design magnetic components, calculate input/output filters and design closed-loop controllers necessary to fulfill the requirements listed in the chosen specification and thus meet the project's goals. This paper presents the course teaching plan and teaching methods, assessment method and student feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contribution: This paper presents a model for educational robotics tools and a corresponding set of heuristics for their development and evaluation specifically adapted to the needs and expectations in formal education settings. Background: The increased use of educational robots in classrooms, and the steadily growing number of alternatives from which to choose, bring the requirement for appropriate methods to develop and evaluate these tools. Yet the current body of literature does not provide comprehensive frameworks that allow this question to be adequately addressed. Although previous research has studied the use of educational robotics in classrooms, there is still a lack of methods to support their development and evaluation. Intended Outcomes: An evaluation framework to support researchers, engineers, educators, and decision makers in taking informed decisions about educational robotics systems. Application Design: This paper proposes to consider activities involving educational robotics tools as a kind of “educational augmented tabletop game.” Within this framework, a set of fourteen heuristics was devised, based on literature on games and learning tools. The validity of these heuristics was examined with a heterogenous group of twelve school teachers, who tested five different educational robotics systems. Findings: The participating teachers had a high level of approval for the heuristics devised. A heuristic evaluation based on the framework proposed here appeared to more appropriately reflecting the teachers’ needs than did conventional methods, namely the isolated comparison of system characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the more interesting approaches to teaching advanced logic concepts is the use of online laboratory frameworks to provide student access to remote field-programmable devices. There is as yet, however, no conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of such an approach. This paper presents the Advanced Digital Lab, a remote laboratory based on the batched MIT iLab Architecture. With a hardware system under test designed around an Altera EP2C20F484 field-programmable gate array (FPGA), the lab makes it possible for students to implement finite-state machines on a field-programmable device using VHDL. A study was carried out to evaluate the lab. Study results indicated that the Advanced Digital Lab is an effective pedagogical tool. Some observations drawn from the results of the study are also discussed; these may have far-reaching implications for the argument about the effectiveness of the general class of remote laboratories. An important contribution of this paper is that it provides a template for the proper evaluation of remote laboratories along multiple dimensions, particularly those of pedagogy, logistics, and cost. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contribution: This paper reports a curriculum development in hybrid problem-based learning (h-PBL), addresses the design, implementation, effectiveness, and assessment issues of h-PBL, and explains the mixed results observed regarding the impact of problem-based learning (PBL) on student grades from a hybrid perspective. Background: The effect of PBL on student learning is difficult to analyze. Empirical research on h-PBL has been scant in the engineering education field. Intended Outcomes: The hybrid approach described in this paper can be used to guide other course designs. Future research directions are also provided in order to better capture the positive effects of PBL on student learning. Application Design: A 3-D imaging project was developed and implemented using h-PBL. A non-parametric hypothesis test was conducted to compare four-year student performance data collected after the implementation of h-PBL with four-year student performance data collected under traditional lecturing; both sets of students were taught by the same instructor. Findings: Student project grades improved after h-PBL, whereas student cumulative course grades did not show significant improvement. The study suggests that higher ratios and weights of PBL, better timing in introducing PBL, and more integrated course components in the hybrid approach may further improve student performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes lab work for learning fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) in mechatronic systems. These skills are important for engineering education because FDD is a key capability of competitive processes and products. The intended outcome of the lab work is that students become aware of the importance of faulty conditions and learn to design FDD strategies for a real system. To this end, the paper proposes a lab project where students are requested to develop a discrete event dynamic system (DEDS) diagnosis to cope with two faulty conditions in an autonomous mobile robot task. A sample solution is discussed for LEGO Mindstorms NXT robots with LabVIEW. This innovative practice is relevant to higher education engineering courses related to mechatronics, robotics, or DEDS. Results are also given of the application of this strategy as part of a postgraduate course on fault-tolerant mechatronic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering education is undergoing a restructuring driven by the needs of an increasingly multidisciplinary engineering profession. At the same time, power systems are transitioning toward future smart grids that will require power engineers with skills outside of the core power engineering domain. Since including new topics in the existing curriculum while maintaining the existing requirements is difficult, this paper proposes a project-based cooperative learning approach to promote soft skills in an engineering course. This paper then shows how to construct a realistic open-ended multidisciplinary problem whose solution requires a wide range of skills, which is not a trivial task. The design and technoeconomic viability assessment of a small-scale photovoltaic battery system is used as a case study. The effectiveness of the approach and students’ satisfaction were assessed over two years. Survey results after the first year revealed that the students did not feel sufficiently prepared for multidisciplinary work. After appropriate adjustments in the second year, the survey results improved noticeably. Statistical analysis reveals that the project teaches skills that are complementary to the core domain skills, which confirms the validity of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The ability to anticipate the strategic actions of hackers, including where, when, and how they might attack, and their tactics for evading detection, is a valuable skill for cybersecurity. Therefore, developing the strategic reasoning abilities of cybersecurity students is an important cybersecurity education learning objective. This paper proposes that basic game theory concepts should be taught to cybersecurity students in order to improve their strategic reasoning abilities. It details a pretest–posttest educational experiment that demonstrates that 2 h of basic game theory instruction results in a statistically significant improvement in students’ abilities to anticipate the strategic actions of others. It also provides details of the game theory curriculum to help other cybersecurity educators replicate these results. Additionally, this paper suggests that another benefit of teaching game theory in a cybersecurity course is that it may fundamentally alter the way students view the practice of cybersecurity, helping to sensitize them to the human adversary element inherent in cybersecurity in addition to technology-focused best practices. This could result in a more naturally strategic-minded, and therefore better equipped, cybersecurity workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We describe Google's online handwriting recognition system that currently supports 22 scripts and 97 languages. The system's focus is on fast, high-accuracy text entry for mobile, touch-enabled devices. We use a combination of state-of-the-art components and combine them with novel additions in a flexible framework. This architecture allows us to easily transfer improvements between languages and scripts. This made it possible to build recognizers for languages that, to the best of our knowledge, are not handled by any other online handwriting recognition system. The approach also enabled us to use the same architecture both on very powerful machines for recognition in the cloud as well as on mobile devices with more limited computational power by changing some of the settings of the system. In this paper we give a general overview of the system architecture and the novel components, such as unified time- and position-based input interpretation, trainable segmentation, minimum-error rate training for feature combination, and a cascade of pruning strategies. We present experimental results for different setups. The system is currently publicly available in several Google products, for example in Google Translate and as an input method for Android devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education plays a crucial role in shaping societies and driving progress for future generations. Ensuring an education system that offers equal opportunities to all students is essential to promote equitable education. However, many students face disparities that impede their access to fair educational opportunities. This paper delves into the significance of using data-driven strategies to achieve a more equitable education system. We examine the barriers and inequalities hindering students’ access to high-quality education and explore how data can be instrumental in addressing these challenges. To this end, we leveraged open educational data from Brazil, identifying eight school-related factors associated with student performance. We present various visualizations and insights on how these factors can be employed to promote equity among schools in the country. Furthermore, we recommend the implementation of two public education policies aimed at improving digital governance in Brazilian education. In summary, this paper underscores the crucial role of data-driven approaches in advancing educational equity and offers practical guidance for researchers and policymakers alike.

With the development of Industry 4.0, robots tend to be intelligent and collaborative. For one, robots can interact naturally with humans. For another, robots can work collaboratively with humans in a common area. The traditional teaching method is no longer suitable for the production mode with human–robot collaboration. Since the traditional teaching processes are complicated, they need highly skilled staffs. This paper focuses on the natural way of online teaching, which can be applied to the tasks such as welding, painting, and stamping. This paper presents an online teaching method with the fusion of speech and gesture. A depth camera (Kinect) and an inertial measurement unit are used to capture the speech and gesture of the human. Interval Kalman filter and improved particle filter are employed to estimate the gesture. To integrate speech and gesture information more deeply, a novel method of audio-visual fusion based on text is proposed, which can extract the most useful information from the speech and gestures by transforming them into text. Finally, a maximum entropy algorithm is employed to deal with the fusion text into the corresponding robot instructions. The practicality and effectiveness of the proposed approach were validated by five subjects without robot teaching skills. The results indicate that the online robot teaching system can successfully teach robot manipulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper contributes to the literature by confirming the existence, in gender and socio-economic diversified higher educational environments, of differential evaluation ratings given by students to their teachers. Background: Women and low socio-economic classes have historically been under-represented, both as students and teachers. Various policies and measures are being put in place internationally to raise their standing, equity, and success as they progress in their careers. To be effective, the after effects of these policies must be investigated and understood. Research Questions: This paper addressed the question of whether gender and socio-economic differences, in both teachers and students, affect students’ opinion of their teachers in higher education, across a number of disciplines. Methodology: The research analyzed the differentials in students’ ratings of their teachers in five disciplines in the field of education. Data was drawn from student responses to the surveys conducted in a large Indian university at the end of each course unit. The survey questions elicit their perceptions of teaching quality in the disciplines of civil engineering, electrical engineering, computer science engineering, mathematics, humanities and social sciences. This paper analyzes 112 919 and 16 354 complete sets of student ratings, to study the gender and socio-economic diversity based effects respectively. Statistical multivariate and univariate general linear models were used to derive the relevant results and graphs. Findings: The study reveals the existence of socio-economic status bias, gender-typical behavior, gender-atypical behavior, and same-gender and cross-gender biases; these resulted in differential ratings in the disciplines examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous driving technologies can provide greater safety, comfort, and efficiency for future transportation systems. Until now, much of the research effort has been devoted to developing different sensing and control algorithms. However, there has been limited research on how to handle sensor errors efficiently. A simple error in the sensor may lead to an unexpected failure in the whole autonomous driving function. In those cases, the vehicle is then recommended to be sent back to the manufacturer for repair, which costs time and money. This paper introduces an efficient automatic online sensor correction method. The method includes four major functions: sensor error detection, human teaching, vehicle learning, and vehicle self-evaluation. The first function is assumed to be ready and the major contribution of this paper is the human-vehicle teaching and learning framework, which utilizes human-vehicle interaction to collaboratively adjust the parameter in the control model in order to compensate for the errors of the sensors. The self-evaluation function is also briefly introduced. The applications of this method to radar and vision sensors to recover adaptive cruise control and lane keeping functions are introduced in detail. Experimental results acquired from high-fidelity 1/10-scale autonomous driving vehicles illustrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a collaborative approach to enhancing the student learning experience based on Web 2.0 principles. Specifically, wiki Web sites are used by students for collaboration and for publication of course assignments, which are then shared with the class. Web 2.0 principles include: the Web as platform, harnessing collective intelligence, data are the next Intel Inside, and rich user experiences. Based on a case study in a junior-level undergraduate class, this paper studies a set of six factors with comprehensive grading and evaluation criteria that are critical to make this approach successful. The six factors are knowledge base, motivation, research, social aspects, presentation, and feedback and support. The data collected show that most of the students who participated feel that this approach is exciting and rewarding, and that even some undergraduate students are able to produce original and innovative concepts. The data also show other interesting phenomena with respect to motivation, undergraduate research, and social aspects. Finally, the paper proposes a methodology of conducting a wiki project in a university class using a cyclic constant improvement process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an efficient method of teaching impulse voltage testing of power transformers to undergraduate students of power system groups in electrical engineering departments, as a part of a high-voltage course for senior undergraduate students. The paper shows how to simulate the power transformer and impulse generator to teach students the basics of impulse voltage testing of power transformers and to practice analyzing the test results. In the first part of the paper, the effect of wave shaping of the voltage waveform is simulated to teach the behavior of the impulse generator, and in the second part, impulse voltage testing of a transformer is simulated. Evaluation of the simulation over several semesters with more than 80 students is very positive in terms of their developing confidence in an understanding of this test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This paper brings forward a paradigm shift in microelectronic and nanoelectronic engineering education. Background: An increasing number of universities are offering graduate-level electrical engineering degree programs with multi-disciplinary Master’s-level specialization in microelectronics or nanoelectronics. The paradigm shift from electrical engineering to microelectronics graduate education has been slow, but the technology has now advanced to the point where industry is relying on cyber-physical connectivity, thus providing an opportunity for engineering education to utilize this capability. Research Questions: How are methods deployed when teaching traditional electrical engineering degrees still applicable in microelectronics education, and how are globally ranked institution shifting their online teaching and learning pedagogies for this? Methodology: A survey is presented of current trends in Master’s degree programs in microelectronics and related fields, and in electrical engineering degree programs with specialization in microelectronics. The review reveals how Quacquarelli Symonds’ top-ranked world universities, and other global universities with established micro- and nanoelectronic degrees, are selecting modules for their curricula and curricula content in attempts to attract and develop engineering students to this specialized field. Findings: The current global trend toward microelectronic education is following a part-coursework, part-dissertation Master’s degree model, consisting of several core modules, several electives, a research proposal writing module and a mini-dissertation. Furthermore, following industrial trends, there is a clear shift toward the “fabless” or cyber-physical approach and outsourced manufacturing, with technology-led teaching mediating the possibility of completing both theoretical and laboratory components using online resources and interactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum mechanics (QMs) is a foundational subject in many science and engineering fields. It is difficult to teach, however, as it requires a fundamental revision of the assumptions and laws of classical physics and probability. Furthermore, introductory QM courses and texts predominantly focus on the mathematical formulations of the subject and lay less emphasis on its conceptual understanding. Consequently, students struggle to build robust mental models of the concepts. This paper posits that games can provide an effective platform for an experiential and conceptual understanding of introductory QM. Games are particularly suitable for demonstrating QM characteristics because their repetitive nature is conducive to demonstrating probability concepts that form a core part of QM. Games can also immerse students in an engaging environment that motivates them to learn. This paper presents the design and evaluation of a digital game for learning introductory QM concepts. The evaluation of the game indicates an improvement in students’ conceptual understanding of probability. Students also reported an increase in comfort level with key concepts taught in the game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Task interpretation is a critical first step for students in the process of self-regulated learning, and a key determinant when they set goals in their learning and select strategies in assigned work. This paper focuses on the explicit and implicit aspects of task interpretation based on Hadwin’s model. Laboratory activities improve students’ conceptual understanding, as they utilize cognitive ability to integrate the new experiences these provide. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how students’ interpretation of a task assigned during laboratory work may change during the task process, and how this relates to their conceptual understanding. A total of 143 students enrolled in an electronics course participated in this paper. Instruments to measure task interpretation and conceptual understanding were created, piloted, and applied before and after selected laboratory activities over the semester. Findings suggest that while students’ task interpretation changes during the task process, increasing after the completion of the laboratory activity levels of task interpretation are low. Previous research findings—that students generally have an incomplete understanding of the assigned tasks and struggle to establish a connection between laboratory activities and the theory—were confirmed. Lastly, this paper reports a significant relationship between students’ task interpretation and their conceptual understanding in laboratory work. Further investigation is necessary to unveil other factors related to these constructs in order to engage students in laboratory work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an extension of a work in progress paper originally presented at the conference FiE 2020, Frontiers in Education by (Schirichian et al., 2020), as a result of Schirichian’s master’s in science dissertation. It studies the relations between academic performance, protection factors, life at university, and personal characteristics to understand how they influence students’ academic success in undergraduate engineering programs in Brazil. In this challenging environment, several students overcome these issues and graduate, which indicates that some protection structures allow students to face challenging situations and be successful in their studies. Current research studied the relationships between academic performance, self-efficacy, causal attributions, personal characteristics, and life at university, with a group of 30 students. Models were studied by combining the different variables and aspects evaluated in the research, and the findings show relationship between academic performance and: 1) self-efficacy, causal attributions, and personal characteristics (such as leisure activities, living with their parents, or college accommodations) and those who attended private schools during basic education; 2 protection factors self-efficacy and causal attributions with advancing in the program and the time of enrolment in the university; and 3) the dimensions initiation and persistence, success/internality and failure/internality, indicating that those who perceive themselves as playing a major role in their academic journey tend to have better outcomes. Further results show the influence of social inequalities, particularly for those students who declared themselves brown and who conducted their basic education in public schools (which are generally of lower quality than private ones in Brazil). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the Gartner Group's hype cycle is used as the basis for categorizing and analyzing research on the educational use of ubiquitous computing. There are five phases of the hype cycle: the technology trigger, the peak of inflated expectations, the trough of disillusionment, the slope of enlightenment, and the plateau of productivity. Research on the educational use of mobile technology is divided in this paper into four stages: (i) a period of mobility and personal digital assistants (PDAs); (ii) the era of wireless internet learning devices; (iii) the introduction of social mobile media; and (iv) a ubiquitous future. In addition, three empirical case studies are used as examples of these developmental stages. These case studies demonstrate the diversity of contexts, methods, and technologies used, ranging from the workplace to nature trails, from inquiry learning to collaborative knowledge building, and from PocketPCs to smartphones. The four stages of educational use in the context of the hype cycle and the case studies together emphasize that pedagogically grounded instructional design is needed to put emergent technologies to effective use to promote learning skills, namely self-regulated learning and collaboration, and to prepare people for the 21st century learning society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Electric grids are seeing increasing adoption of renewables interfaced with power electronics. As the share of renewable generation increases, the inverters are expected to operate in grid-forming mode to replace large conventional synchronous generation. Further, in geographical islands and isolated/rural areas, inverters interfacing renewable generators and storage are used to form the grids and share the loads. Given the expected presence of grid-forming inverters in future power systems, there is an urgent need to revise education curricula about the stability issues arising from these interconnected inverters. Existing training is overly reliant on numerical simulation or on expensive tools such as real-time simulators. In this paper, we present a laboratory hands-on project dealing with small-signal stability in droop-controlled inverters. It entails simulation and hands-on experimentation for which an inexpensive microgrid set up was developed in-house at the National University of Singapore. The design project can be integrated into power engineering courses offered to senior and postgraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the design and usage of a Simulink-based phasor measurement unit (PMU) simulator package. The simulator and PMU data is available upon request from the first author. The motivation for developing the package is to provide a flexible environment for teaching phasor measurement and frequency estimation to advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and providing a knowledge base to students for research. This software allows for the exploration of the algorithms and phenomena involved in the phasor estimation process. The package is built on the Simulink platform and is able to process simulated signals as well as measured point-on-wave data. The popularity and relevance of the proposed package is evaluated using formal questioners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a computer-assisted method to teach and understand transmission pricing techniques. The education method is facilitated by specially designed user-friendly transmission pricing software (TPS). The proposed approach helps students fully understand transmission pricing through the fulfillment of the following educational objectives: 1) use of TPS to solve the transmission pricing problem of a small power system as well as a real-world power system; 2) complete understanding of the mathematics involved and development of software code to reproduce part of the results of TPS; 3) analysis of the results, identification and justification of the differences among three transmission tracing techniques and eight transmission cost allocation methods; and 4) extension of TPS methodologies. These methods have been proven effective in the education of students studying power system economics at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece. A full-fledged, robust, comprehensive study of the educational improvements achieved through the use of TPS is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Electric power systems are going through a major upgrade with the integration of advanced technologies to enable the smarter electric grid (SEG). The SEG will use information and communications technology to have enhanced controllability and will become more interactive. This ongoing change also necessitates educating professionals and future generation of engineers to manage evolving complexity of the electric grid. This paper presents experiences in the design and teaching of a unique multidisciplinary team-taught course on smart grid cyber infrastructure to provide a new generation of engineers with a solid foundation of smart grid concepts and their associated challenges. This paper identifies the course topics covered, learning objectives, and assessment activities for the class as well as lessons learned based on course evaluations obtained from multiple offerings. All of the course material is available in public domain and can be easily adopted at another educational institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a study of teaching a programming language in a C programming course by having students assemble and program a low-cost mobile robot. Writing their own programs to define the robot’s behavior raised students’ motivation. Working in small groups, students programmed the robots by using the control structures of structured programming. Over the course, there was a significant improvement in students’ academic performance and motivation. The approach took into account four of the motivational factors that feature in the ARCS model: 1) attention; 2) relevance; 3) confidence; and 4) satisfaction. The main achievements of the approach were to be able to: 1) catch and hold students’ attention throughout the course; 2) increase students’ confidence in the learning process; 3) achieve a high student satisfaction level with their acquired skills; and 4) demonstrate to students the practical usefulness of the knowledge they had learned. This paper also determines the extent to which this strategy was effective in meeting the teaching goals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Remote laboratories give students the opportunity of experimenting in STEM by using the Internet to control and measure an experimental setting. Remote laboratories are increasingly used in the classroom to complement, or substitute for, hands-on laboratories, so it is important to know its learning value. While many authors approach this question through qualitative analyses, this paper reports a replicated quantitative study that evaluates the teaching performance of one of these resources, the virtual instrument systems in reality (VISIR) remote laboratory. VISIR, described here, is the most popular remote laboratory for basic analog electronics. This paper hypothesizes that use of a remote laboratory has a positive effect on students’ learning process. This report analyzes the effect of the use of VISIR in five different groups of students from two different academic years (2013–2014 and 2014–2015), with three teachers and at two educational levels. The empirical experience focuses on Ohm’s Law. The results obtained are reported using a pretest and post-test design. The tests were carefully designed and analyzed, and their reliability and validity were assessed. The analysis of knowledge test question results shows that the post-test scores are higher that the pretest. The difference is significant according to Wilcoxon test ( p <0.001 ), and produces a Cohen effect size of 1.0. The VISIR remote laboratory’s positive effect on students’ learning processes indicates that remote laboratories can produce a positive effect in students’ learning if an appropriate activity is used. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Computer programming has for decades posed several difficulties for students of all educational levels. A number of teaching approaches have been proposed over the years but none seems to fulfil the needs of students nowadays. Students use computers mainly for playing games and the Internet and as quite a few researchers state this aspect of computers should be taken into account in the way we educate them. Towards this direction, this paper aims to examine the effects of using an educational Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) on teaching and learning computer programming. The educational features of an MMORPG called CMX are presented along with a design framework that was devised taking into account previous work in designing educational games. The effects of CMX on teaching and learning computer programming are assessed through a study with first-year undergraduate students. Seventy six students used CMX over a period of five weeks for learning various procedural programming concepts. Students evaluated various aspects of CMX by filling in a questionnaire that was based on an evaluation framework, which was devised in accordance with the design framework of CMX. Moreover, the results of a midterm exam that took place prior to using CMX and students’ accomplishments in the context of CMX were recorded and analyzed. The results show that the majority of the students was entertained by playing the game while learning, and felt motivated to continue based on the game's scenario due to the variety of activities included. In regards to the students’ performance, a pre-test and a post-test were carried out in the experimental group, i.e., the participants of this study, and the control group, i.e., students of the course that continued to get taught the same concepts and performed the same assignments as the experimental group, but traditionally. The pre-test and post-test analysis of the performance results for both groups showed that the majority of the students in the experimental group increased their performance in computer programming. Furthermore, students stated they had a positive attitude in regards to re-using CMX in the future in order to learn additional programming concepts. The positive results of this study pave the way for CMX being used in the classroom and expanding the game's functionalities that will further increase students’ performance and support teachers in delivering the required knowledge. Moreover, the work reported in this paper offers game designers and teachers methodological and empirical results for game-based learning in such a difficult domain as is computer programming. What is more, the design and evaluation frameworks presented are general enough that they can be easily adjusted and/or extended for designing and assessing educational games in other domains as well. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The increasing complexity of the new breed of distributed intelligent systems, such as the Internet of Things, which require a diversity of languages and protocols, can only be tamed with design and programming best practices. Interest is also growing for including the human factor, as advocated by the ambient intelligence (AmI) research field, whose focus is on transparently and intelligently supporting people. These new design methodologies are increasingly needed in the toolbox of new electronic and computer engineers, and teaching strategies should be devised that allow students to acquire a systems-level view instead of getting lost in technology-oriented approaches. This paper describes a study carried out over two academic years, in a course in AmI at Politecnico di Torino, Italy. In the course, a project-based learning approach was adopted, in which students design and prototype an AmI system, and their progress is closely monitored throughout the semester. This paper presents the learning goals and teaching strategies, analyzes the learning outcomes from the qualitative and quantitative points of view, and highlights the lessons learned in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Existing tools aim to detect university students with early diagnosis of dyslexia or reading difficulties, but there are not developed tools that let those students better understand some aspects of their difficulties. In this paper, a dashboard for visualizing and inspecting early detected reading difficulties and their characteristics, called PADA (acronym for the Spanish name Panel de Analíticas de Aprendizaje de Dislexia en Adultos), is presented. PADA is a web-based tool designed to facilitate the creation of descriptive visualizations required for a better understanding by students about their learner model. Through information visualization techniques, PADA shows students the knowledge in their learner models in order to help them to increase their awareness and to support reflection and self-regulation about their difficulties in reading. PADA provides different learning analytics on reading performance of students, so that they can self-identify their strengths and weaknesses and self-regulate their learning. This paper describes examples that cover a variety of visualizations (bar-charts, line-charts, and pie-charts) to show user model fragments as personal details, reading profiles, learning styles, and cognitive traits of the students. We tested PADA with 26 students (aged 21–53 years) of different academic programs and levels, dyslexic and non-dyslexic. The results show that PADA can assist students in creating awareness, and help them to understand their difficulties associated with the reading tasks, as well as facilitate reflection and self-regulation in the learning process. Implications for the design of learning analytics are discussed and directions for future work are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]