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1. Mobile Learning in STEM: A Case Study in an Undergraduate Engineering Course

   Pakala, K.; Bakic, M.; Bairaktarova, D.; Bose, D. (June 2023, 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition)

   Student-centered educational system is needed for better educational outcomes. Technology enabled pedagogy has helped immensely during the pandemic times when rapid transition to remote learning was essential. This poster reports findings on year one of a two-year research study to utilize mobile technologies and a technology-enhanced curriculum to improve student engagement and learning in STEM undergraduate courses. This poster describes a quasi-experimental mixed methods study on implementing mobile devices (iPad and Pencil) and a technology-enhanced curriculum in an undergraduate thermal-fluids engineering course, a foundational engineering class. The technology-enabled curriculum was fully integrated in the thermal-fluids course to deliver content and to facilitate student engagement with the content, instructor, and fellow students. This approach leveraged the social-constructivist learning theory - a connected community of learners with classroom peers and co-construction of knowledge where the instructor’s role is that of a subject matter expert who facilitates learning. To examine the impact of mobile devices on student learning, in this two-year study (year one fall 2021 - spring 2022), the following research questions were addressed, hypothesizing improvements in the areas of engagement, enhancement of learning outcomes, and extension of learning to real-life engineering scenarios: (1) Does mobile device use facilitate engagement in thermal-fluid science course content? (Engagement), (2) Does mobile device use increase learning of identified difficult concepts in thermal-fluid science courses as indicated by increased achievement scores? (Enhancement) and (3) What are student perceptions of using mobile devices for solving real-life problems? This poster will provide an overview of the research plan and describe some preliminary research efforts based on year 1 of the project efforts. This work is supported by the NSF: Research Initiation in Engineering Formation (RIEF). 

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2. Enhancing engineering education: Investigating the impact of mobile devices on learning in a thermal-fluids course

   https://doi.org/10.1177/03064190241252844  

   Bakic, Maeve; Pakala, Krishna; Bairaktarova, Diana; Bose, Devshikha (May 2024, International Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education)

   The COVID-19 pandemic has affected learning at all levels; particularly, in higher education, where levels of independence and self-motivation are required during distance learning. In engineering, distance learning adds another degree of difficulty to an already complex field. Comprehension in engineering requires the repeated use of diagrams, high-level charts, and practice problems. Mobile devices, combined with a technology-enhanced curriculum, provide an excellent platform for learning in engineering as it allows for clear illustration and the transfer of complex ideas at any time and place. In alignment with the social-constructivist framework, these facets of mobile technology provide additional avenues for student engagement and the extension of learning goals. This study utilized the Triple E Framework and a mixed methods approach to investigate the impact of mobile devices on engineering students’ learning in a thermal-fluids course. The overall aim was to understand how mobile technology, combined with a technology-enhanced curriculum, impacts engineering students’ engagement, enhancement, and extension of learning. Findings reveal that students perceived increased levels of engagement when utilizing mobile devices in their learning practices. However, instructional methods were identified to be the key factor leading to engagement. A small effect size of 0.37 was noticed, and a post hoc power analysis resulted in a test power of 0.55. Though a significant difference between students who did and did not utilize mobile devices was not apparent, students with university loaned tablets (iPads) had a larger increase in learning than students without. This paper is based on the author's master's thesis titled “Affordances of Mobile Technology to Facilitate Learning in Undergraduate Thermal-Fluid Sciences,” the represented data reflects content from the same. 

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3. Use of mobile application to improve active learning and student participation in the computer science classroom (abstract only)

   https://doi.org/10.1145/2538862.2544291  

   Deb, Debzani; Fuad, Mohammad Muztaba (January 2014, 45th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education)

   This poster addresses a significant learning barrier experienced at many CS departments, specially at predominantly minority institutions, which is the problem of students? inability to keep engaged and interested in classroom. In this research, we investigate the applicability of using mobile devices in the classroom and incorporation of interactive problem solving using those devices to increase class engagement and active learning for students. By allowing the students to solve problems in their preferred devices, the research expects to create a friendly learning environment where the students want to retain, be active and skillful. The poster will present the design aspects of Mobile Response System (MRS) software that will be utilized to communicate, collaborate and evaluate interactive problems using mobile devices. The poster will also showcase several interactive problem-solving activities utilizing mobile devices and MRS software, which have been developed and are being adopted in CS and IT courses at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU). It is expected that this research will invigorate interest in Computer Science among minority and underrepresented students through exposure to the technology-rich learning environment. By enhancing student learning and problem solving abilities, it is also expected that this research work will improve the quality and quantity of underrepresented minority students in STEM workforce or graduate study. The successful execution of this project will advance research and the knowledge of mobile device usage in CS classrooms and more importantly the way it impact teaching strategy and student learning at WSSU and other institutions. 

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4. IUSE/PFE: RED A&I Curriculum Integration through Collaborative Teaching and Mentoring: Adapting an Integrated System for Engineering Formation

   Maniatty, Antoinette M; Borca-Tasciuc, Diana-Andra; Picu, Catalin; Felix, Sarah; Karthikeyan, Panneerselvam; Burkholder, Eric; Kopsaftopoulos, Fotis; Svirsky, Amy Jo; Ji, Wei (June 2026, American Society for Engineering Education)

   This wok provides an overview of progress made toward a transformation of the culture and curriculum of the Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering (MANE) Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to better equip our students to solve the challenging problems of our world. This work is an adaption and extension of a proven integrated engineering education model from Colorado State University’s NSF IUSE/PFE RED program, scaling up to a large department with four degree programs in a way that is sustainable. Motivated by longstanding challenges in traditional siloed engineering education—such as students’ challenges with connecting fundamental concepts across disciplines, applying abstract knowledge to real-world problems, and understanding professional pathways early in the curriculum—the project is addressing critical needs identified in the National Academy of Engineering’s Educating the Engineer of 2020 report and supported by extensive literature on STEM integration and organizational change. The work leverages evidence-based strategies grounded in engineering education research. The project focuses on enhancing engineering education through six key activities: developing modules to support the application of foundational knowledge, implementing knowledge integration (KI) activities linking discipline-specific courses, embedding vertically integrated projects (VIPs) into the curriculum, fostering student professional formation via Engineers-In-Residence (EIR), supporting faculty teaching development, and continuous programmatic assessment. These elements are designed to foster deeper interdisciplinary understanding, enhance hands-on learning, and improve professional identity formation for undergraduate students in MANE. New curriculum activities have included the successful creation and piloting of foundation modules that refreshed essential math and physics concepts with positive student feedback; effective KI activities in aerospace engineering and control systems that connected courses with related content; and implementation of a VIP centered on Luminescent Solar Concentrators across multiple courses to promote cumulative learning and systems-level understanding. Other supporting activities include initial but promising EIR engagement in career-related support for students; faculty development workshops that encouraged evidence-based teaching practices; and ongoing assessment revealing areas for improvement such as increasing examples in modules, better framing of assignments, and enhanced coordination among courses. Overall, the project is stimulating more collaborative teaching and is demonstrating the feasibility and value in integrating interdisciplinary learning experiences into a large, multi-program department, to better prepare engineering students for complex professional challenges. 

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5. Work in Progress: Creating Alternative Learning Strategies for Transfer Engineering Programs

   https://doi.org/10.18260/p.25085  

   Enriquez, Amelito; Dunmire, Erik; Rebold, Tom; Langhoff, Nick; Schiorring, Eva (June 2015, 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition)

   The 2012 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) report “Engage to Excel: Producing One Million Additional College Graduates with Degrees in Science,Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics” indicated that addressing the retention problem in the first two years of college is the most promising and cost-effective strategy to produce the STEM professionals needed in order to retain US historical preeminence in science and technology. The California Community College System, with its 112 community colleges and 71 off-campus centers enrolling approximately 2.3 million students (roughly a third of all US community college students) is in a prime position to grow the future STEM workforce.However, in the face of shrinking resources and increasing costs and other barriers, an effective approach is needed in order to capitalize on this opportunity. One prong in this approach is to more fully exploit modern technological capabilities to reduce costs, broaden access, and improve educational productivity. This paper presents preliminary results of a collaborative project, Creating Alternative Learning Strategies for Transfer Engineering Programs (CALSTEP), which aims to strengthen community college engineering programs using distance education and other alternative delivery strategies that will enable small-to-medium community college engineering programs to provide their students access to lower-division engineering courses needed to be competitive for transfer to four-year engineering programs. Funded by a three-year grant through the National Science Foundation Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (NSF IUSE) program, CALSTEP will leverage existing educational resources and develop new ones for online lecture courses, as well as core engineering laboratory courses that are delivered either completely online, or with limited face-to-face interactions. The initial areas of focus for laboratory course development are: Introduction to Engineering, Engineering Graphics, Materials Science, and Circuit Analysis. CALSTEP will also develop alternative models of flipped classroom instruction to improve student success and enhance student access to engineering courses that otherwise could not be supported in traditional delivery modes due to low enrollment. The project will iteratively evaluate and refine the curriculum over the three-year grant period, as well as train other community college engineering faculty in the effective use of the curriculum and resources developed. 

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