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The application of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education in solving real-world problems is challenging. To tackle this challenge, a project-based learning approach that integrates robots with cost-effective self-made toys to problem-solving was adopted to assist rural primary school students to apply STEM skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the project-based learning approach which includes lecturing and hands-on activities on primary school students' STEM learning outcomes and attitudes. An experiment was conducted with 25 primary school students who voluntarily participated in a STEM summer-camp programme. Students were asked to assemble a paper house equipped with an IoT control module and LED light switches, and write and edit robot scripts to produce a robot-based storytelling narrative using the paper house they made as a context. The results show that the project-based learning approach was an effective approach for cultivating primary school students' STEM knowledge and skills as evidenced from the post-written test. The relationships between the students' STEM learning outcomes and attitudes were also confirmed by a clustering analysis. Students who had higher learning attitudes also achieved higher STEM learning outcomes; the findings are also supported by the feedback from the open-ended questionnaire items. This study suggests that integrating low-cost self-made toys and robots in project-based learning activities is an effective and practical approach to enhance primary school students' learning outcomes and learning attitudes in STEM education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With constantly changing political landscapes affecting the ability of college students with minoritized identities of sexuality and/or gender (MIoSG; Vaccaro et al., 2015) to thrive on campus, higher educators need to understand student reported stressors to design more inclusive learning environments. Building from minority stress theory and using data from a grounded theory study with 56 collegiate STEM students with MIoSG, this paper documents stressors that students reported as contributing to diminished wellbeing. We used constant comparative grounded theory analysis to identify stressors shared by all participants, which included lack of belonging and invisibility in competitive STEM cultures as well as exclusionary interactions with STEM peers. Recommendations include the design and delivery of holistic education and support services on campus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional bodies expect engineers to show competence in both mathematics and engineering topics such as mechanics, using their abilities in both of these to solve problems. Yet within engineering programmes there is a phenomenon known as ‘The Mathematics Problem’, with students not demonstrating understanding of the subject. This paper will suggest that students are constructing different concept images in engineering and mathematics, based on their perception of either the use or exchange-value for the topics. Using a mixed methods approach, the paper compares 10 different types of concept image constructed by students, which suggests that familiar procedural images are preferred in mathematics. In contrast strategic and conceptual images develop for mechanics throughout the years of the programme, implying that different forms of competence are being constructed by students between the two subjects. The paper argues that this difference is attributed to the perceived use-value of mechanics in the career of the engineer, compared to the exchange-value associated with mathematics. Questions are raised about the relevance of current definitions of competence given that some routine mathematical operations previously performed by engineers are now being replaced by technology, in the new world of work. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Mathematics has long been known to be problematic for university engineering students and their teachers, for example, Scanlan.[1] This paper presents recent data gathered from interviews with engineering students who experienced problems with mathematics and their lecturers during their transition through the first year in different programme contexts. Our interviews with the students reveal how they understand the relation between engineering and mathematics and we draw on the concept of ‘use- and exchange-value’ to explore this relationship more fully. This paper challenges both the pedagogical practice of teaching non-contextualized mathematics and the lack of transparency regarding the significance of mathematics to engineering. We conclude that the value of mathematics in engineering remains a central problem, and argue that mathematics should be a fundamental concern in the design and practice of first-year engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The fractional calculus includes concepts of integrals and derivatives of any complex or real order. The fractional calculus is as old as the usual calculus. Recently, many scientists have been studying on this field to provide the development and applicability to various areas of mathematics, physics, engineering and other sciences. The discrete fractional calculus has an important position in this field. Some ordinary diffrential equations can be solved by means of nabla (∇) discrete fractional calculus operator. In this paper, we aim to apply this operator to the radial Schrödinger equation for some physical potentials such as pseudoharmonic and Mie-type potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased efforts to diversify science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States have drastically increased the number of studies offering insight into the experiences of women in STEM programs in higher education. This paper presents a thematic review of the literature regarding their status from 2007 to 2017 including journals, trade magazines, theses, and dissertations. It focuses on areas of recruitment, retention, barriers, and faculty issues. Stereotypes, biases, campus culture, classroom experiences, identity, and sense of belonging are also explored. The author additionally identifies gaps and suggests related areas for new research as well as implications for librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite societal expectations that graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines integrate broader impacts into their professional activities, few of them actually receive any formal training in this area. This paper describes a graduate seminar entitled “Broader Impacts of Natural Sciences on Society” taught at the University of Florida in 2006 and 2008. In addition to course goals, recruitment, expectations, format, content, and outcomes, this paper describes challenges and recommendations for others who might want to teach a similar course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rarely do university departments of mathematics redesign their basic mathematics courses. Through developing an online version of our associate degree in engineering in collaboration with Open Universities Australia, we redesigned the first in a sequence of five engineering mathematics courses. The online cohort proved different to our face-to-face experience. We embarked on a process of refining the unit using experiential learning and action research. The 13 week unit is delivered up to four times a year and this paper reviews the first 10 cycles of enhancements over 3 years and unpacks the layers of hypotheses underlying development decisions. Several category themes were identified with a focus on students, teachers and learning activities. Investment in online developments for mathematics can have multiple flow-on impacts for other teaching modes. Good curriculum design, regardless of environment, will always be a cornerstone of effective course development processes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper we discuss perceptions of the benefits of learner-generated podcasts for supporting postgraduate engineering students in a mathematics-intensive course. The course under study had previously been highlighted as one in which students had struggled to attain knowledge that formed an essential underpinning to their degree programme. Podcasts were used as a means of concretising abstract mathematical knowledge so that students could access and share such concepts in a meaningful way. The experiences of three students (in a single cohort) were examined qualitatively at every stage of the exercise: introduction, pre-test, podcast creation, podcast peer evaluation, post-test, and focus-group session. The data suggest that this specific technique led to improvements in mathematical learning through the analysis of podcasts rather than through the creation of them. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the highlights of the International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering, held by the Mathematics and Computation Division of the American Nuclear Society at the Rio Othon Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 8 to 12, 2011. The event featured 262 papers related to mathematics, nuclear science and engineering. Topics tackled include reactor physics education and deterministic particle transport.

The cyberinfrastucture is a broad informational network that entails connections to real-time data sensors as well as tools that permit visualization and other forms of analysis, and that facilitates access to vast scientific databases. This multifaceted network, already a major boon to scientific discovery, now shows exceptional promise in advancing educational goals, especially in fostering deep and authentic understanding in science and scientific practice. In this paper, we outline the key features of the cyberinfrastructure that make it far more than the latest technological innovation. In particular, we identify six cognitive affordances for education that are unique to the cyberinfrastructure and that, in combination, set it apart from its predecessors: (a) immediate original data, (b) distributed expert networks, (c) analytical and visualization tools, (d) instantaneous retrieval of source documents, (e) forums for public discourse, and (f) opportunities for metacognitive structuring of ill-defined problems. We conclude by drawing implications for students' engagement in science, building a new cadre of science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) professionals, and preparing of a scientifically literate citizenry for a world in which many key social issues are comprehended only through a scientific lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the preliminary design of a multifaceted computer-based mathematics resource for undergraduate and pre-entry engineering students. Online maths resources, while attractive in their flexibility of delivery, have seen variable interest from students and teachers alike. Through student surveys and wide consultations, guidelines have been developed for effectively collating and integrating learning, support, application and diagnostic tools to produce an Engineer's Mathematics Gateway. Specific recommendations include: the development of a shared database of engineering discipline-specific problems and examples; the identification of, and resource development for, troublesome mathematics topics which encompass ideas of threshold concepts and mastery components; the use of motivational and promotional material to raise student interest in learning mathematics in an engineering context; the use of general and lecture-specific concept maps and matrices to identify the needs and relevance of mathematics to engineering topics; and further exploration of the facilitation of peer-based learning through online resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proposes several mathematical problems and offers solutions to these mathematical problems. Marius Stefan of Los Angeles, California provides solution to the mathematical problem which was proposed by Chu Cheng of China. Pal Peter Dalyay of Hungary solves the proposed triangle inequality problem which was cited by Wu Wei Chao of China. Richard Ston of Texas solves the greatest lower bound problem which was proposed by Michel Bataille of France. Victor Pambuccian's paper "Positive definitions of segment congruence in terms of segment inequality" provides a solution to the reverse engineering problem which was proposed by Bogdan Nica of Tennessee.

The calculating precision of a new Fourier's expansion differential method presented by us for analyzing the arbitrarily shaped groove guide is improved in this paper. Through calculating and analyzing the guide wavelengths of the typically several groove guides, the correctness of the new method is verified. A new type of similar V-groove guide is presented and analyzed by using the new method in detail. The obtained results are of important significance for enriching guide theory, analysis and calculation of guide performances in practical engineering applications for millimeter waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applications in engineering, science and technology within undergraduate programmes can be difficult for students to understand. In this paper, new results are presented which go some way to demonstrate and explain the problems faced by students in linking mathematical models to real-world applications. The study is based on student responses to multiple-choice questionnaires on mathematical modelling problems, student reflective questionnaires and subsequent interviews. The processes used by students to solve such problems are classified and links between these process levels, credit and seven other behavioural descriptors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers the negative effects of the degeneration of the mathematics syllabus for engineering-oriented students into a collection of unconnected recipes, and presents a modernization of a linear algebra course to serve as a tool for the unification of the syllabus into a single transparent picture. The modernization is centred on the use of operator language as enabled by the incorporation of MATLAB-based applications into the theoretical part of the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematics departments in many universities, in many countries, are under pressure. The demand for mathematics undergraduate programmes is diminishing and service mathematics is under threat. In particular, engineering schools are either reducing the number of mathematics courses in degree programmes or engineering staff are teaching mathematics as part of engineering analysis courses. There is also a strong trend in engineering education to make greater use of computer courseware like Mathcad, Matlab and other software systems for the mathematical and statistical components of engineering programmes. Engineering education is undergoing substantial change. The mathematics of engineering programmes will need to change accordingly. Mathematics learning centres have been established in many universities world-wide. Initially their main role was to provide assistance for those who had insufficient levels of competency in prerequisite mathematics. However, these centres can also make a very useful contribution to the latest trends in the mathematics education of engineering undergraduates. This paper will describe that contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]