Establishing a Content Taxonomy for the Coherent Study of Engineering in P-12 Schools

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine the competency characteristics required for the employment of master’s degree students in educational technology.Design/methodology/approachA combined qualitative and quantitative method was used to consult multiple experts through a modified Delphi method. Competency characteristics were extracted from Chinese recruitment apps, national recruitment websites and university training programs. Ten senior teacher experts who teach educational technology master’s students were consulted through a questionnaire consultation to validate the proposed competency model. The weights of competency characteristics were determined through a combination of the analytic hierarchy process and entropy method.FindingsThe results show that when recruiting educational technology master’s students, more emphasis is placed on operational skills. The majority of companies tend to assess practical abilities rather than theoretical knowledge. Relevant knowledge of educational technology, psychology, computer science and education is considered to be the basic knowledge components of educational technology master’s students, while professional skills are the core skills required for their positions. Therefore, universities need to focus on training, educational technology graduate students in these areas of competence. The study also found that professional qualities (such as physical and mental fitness) and personality traits (interpersonal communication and interaction) receive more attention from companies and are essential competencies for educational technology master’s students.Originality/valueA competence model for educational technology master’s students is proposed, which includes aspects such as knowledge, personal skills/abilities, professional qualities and personality traits. The competence elements included in this model can serve as reference indicators for universities to cultivate the competence of educational technology master’s students, as well as reference points for recruiting units to help them select talents. This represents a new dimension in research related to the employment of educational technology master’s students. The study enriches the research objects and competence dictionary in the field of competence research.

The goal of this project is to impart to engineering and business students, and to students from industry, the broad knowledge and practical skills to immediately help a manufacturing company become more competitive in any global economy while still providing a high quality work force for the 21st century. An integration of innovative, cross-disciplinary, manufacturing engineering and business education provided hand in hand with industry, will enable students, especially minority students, to have a real impact on manufacturing in this depressed region. The program was shortened and simplified to meet a budget of $2,000,000 versus the $3,000,000 in the-Proposal. All major objectives in the revised plan for the first year have been achieved with expenditures somewhat under the revised budget. Curriculum development with the advice and assistance of industry is ahead of schedule. Graduate minor degree curricula have been defined in Engineering and in Business. A summer intern project and guest lecture series have been well supported by industry. Facilities including advanced software have been brought on line. Cash and in-kind matching funds from industry, NMSU and the State total over $6m; this is 920% of the TRP funds expended. Cost sharing of cash is ahead of plan, of in-kind is slightly behind. The first group of 21 students have started one semester sooner than planned. The group is 25% minority and 45% female. Industry requests to interview graduates are coming in anticipation of availability in the spring of 1996.

Teacher Preparation and Practice: Reconsideration of Assessment for Learning introduces the reader to a collection of thoughtful research-based works by authors that represent current thinking about assessment. What we know is that assessments are designed and implemented in educational settings (both university-based teacher preparation and school-based teacher practice in school classrooms) that serve to inform and guide teaching and learning. We also know that there is a dichotomy between assessment of learning (summative) and assessment for learning (formative) that is recognized on a global level in teacher preparation. Importantly, the reported research examines assessment and the application of professional judgment guided by assessment for learning in contrast to the more normalizing assessment of learning that currently pervades the nature of assessment in teacher preparation and practice. There is a need in the “work of teaching” for assessments that focus on cultural competence and relational sensitivity, communication skills, and the combination of rigor and imagination fundamental to the teaching and learning practices in classrooms. Each chapter focuses on assessment and the preparation and practice of teachers who will enter classrooms to instruct the next generation of students. Chapter One opens the book with a focus on assessment and its relationship to teaching and learning in the classroom, providing the reader with an introduction to the book and an understanding of the role assessment plays in teacher preparation and practice. The authors of Chapters Two–Nine present field-based research that examines assessment in teacher preparation and practice. Each chapter offers the reader an examination of assessment in teacher preparation and practice based on formal research that provides the reader with insight into how the research study was conducted as well as equally important, the findings and conclusions drawn with respect to assessment and teacher preparation and practice. Finally, Chapter Ten presents an epilogue that focuses on the future of assessment in teacher preparation and practice.

This study was conducted to describe a high school engineering curriculum, identify teaching strategies used to increase math and science literacy, and discover challenges and constraints that occur during its development and delivery, as well as what strategies are used to overcome these obstacles. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the engineering instructor. In addition, students were observed and curriculum documents, teacher lesson plans, and teacher resources were examined. Concepts created the platform for delivery, curricular trial and error was at work, science and engineering competitions were leveraged as a basis for learning activities, and project based learning and teaching was critical. There was a clear emphasis on creative thought and work. Assessment of student learning was dubious and elusive and stakeholders tended to be uneasy with this new pedegogy. Financial and instructional support through business partnership and administrative support were found to be critical strategies used to overcome obsticles identified. David Stricker is an Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin-Stout. He can be reached at strickerd@uwstout.edu 64 JOURNAL OF STEM TEACHER EDUCATION A Case Study: Teaching Engineering Concepts in Science The focus on improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education for America’s children can be traced back to the days of Sputnik and beyond. However, compared with advancements then, it has been argued that today technological development and industrial growth are increasing at an exponential rate with expanding global application (Brophy, Klein, Portsmore, Rogers, 2008). Consequently, amid concerns that the United States may not be able to compete with other nations in the future due to insufficient investment today in science and technology research and STEM education, funding initiatives such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (U.S. Department of Education, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Saving and Creating Jobs and Reforming Education) and “Race to the Top” competitive grants have been enacted in 2009 in an effort to offer substantial federal support for such initiatives (U.S. Department of Education. President Obama, U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan Announce National Competition to Advance School Reform). The support structure for STEM education does not end with tax dollars. Large private companies such as Time Warner Cable have committed $100 million in media time, and the MacArthur Foundation is supporting “National Lab Day” that will include, among other initiatives, a year-long effort to expand hands-on learning methods throughout the country. Specifically, within the STEM focus, engineering education supports the attainment of a wide range of knowledge and skills associated with comprehending and using STEM knowledge to achieve real world problem solving through design, troubleshooting, and analysis activities (Brophy, et. al., 2008). The arguments for including A Case Study: Teaching Engineering Concepts 65 engineering education into the general education curriculum are well established. Some are motivated by concerns regarding the quantity, quality, and diversity of future engineering talent (American Society for Engineering Education, 1987; National Academy of Engineering, 2005; National Research Council, 1996; International Technology Education Association, 2002) and others by the basic need for all students, in their pursuit of preparing for life, work, and citizenship in a society inundated with technology, to possess a fundamental understanding of the nature of engineering (Welty, 2008). In an attempt to address this issue, there have been a number of curricula designed to infuse engineering content into technology education courses (Dearing & Daugherty, 2004). Each of these programs proposes teaching engineering concepts or engineering design in technology education as a vehicle to address the standards for technological literacy (International Technology Education Association, 2000/2002). Similarly, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) publication Technically Speaking (Pearson and Young, 2002) emphasizes the need for all people to become technologically literate to function in the modern world. However, despite this clear need, within the technology education profession itself, the appropriate engineering curriculum required for implementation, particularly at the high school level, remains unclear. Indeed, engineering curricula exist that have been designed for implemetation, not in technology education, but rather in math and science classrooms. As a result of the choices available to teachers and school administrators, the extent to which the most effective way of delivereing engineering content to high school students remains unclear. 66 JOURNAL OF STEM TEACHER EDUCATION

The article highlights the main approaches to the implementation of pedagogical technologies in the conditions of emergency situations and martial law, the essence of which is a new vision of the concept of educational and pedagogical activity, new forms and methods of learning which changed the core and content of pedagogical technologies. Among the factors of such changes, digitalization of the educational process, focus on individualization and interactivity of learning, orientation of the content of education on the development of soft skills and critical thinking have been identified. Attention was paid to the European integration orientation of the development of national education, which ensured the intensive introduction of new pedagogical technologies. It was noted that an important component of the pro-European education system was the introduction of modern educational technologies, their focus on solving the problems of sustainable development, active use of new information and educational technologies. The strategies of such changes are reflected in the Concept of the New Ukrainian School, new legislation, new educational and professional standards which most fully characterize the ideology of modernization processes in national education. It is noted that military aggression by the Russian Federation led to the search for new effective pedagogical technologies that would ensure the quality of domestic education at the level of European and international standards in such difficult conditions. New approaches to the implementation of pedagogical technologies, which in the conditions of martial law are an important factor in ensuring the quality of school education, have been defined and substantiated. Attention is drawn to the fact that the functional effectiveness of the teacher in the implementation of technological, competence. axiological and synergistic approaches are characterized by the ability to adapt new pedagogical technologies in accordance with the characteristics of the class and the capabilities of students; diversify the forms and methods of educational activity taking into account the peculiarities of the educational situation and the environment in which the educational process takes place; provide psychological support to students taking into account stressful situations and unstable emotional states; to provide optimal support for programs of individual development of students; implement the principles of partnership and cooperation with all subjects of educational activity. The important tasks of the teacher are outlined, including «ensuring the quality of education at the level of new educational standards by applying all available forms of educational organization process, optimal support of programs of individual development of education seekers, solving issues of student motivation for educational activities in the conditions of martial law». It is noted that conscious responsibility for the results of pedagogical activity, quick orientation in non-standard situations requires a high level of professional skill of the teacher of the new Ukrainian school.

Assessments of learning should showcase what knowledge is valued in a field; however, the purpose and value of assessments may differ. This research explores how first-year engineering (FYE) students perceive the purpose of assessments in their Calculus I course and how those perceptions are connected to their future in engineering. This mixed methods study involves qualitative data (survey and interviews) and quantitative data (surveys) with FYE students enrolled in a Calculus I course. Surveys were distributed to all students in the course while interview participants came from a homogenous sample, determined by cluster analysis, of those students to adhere to the tenets of an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Factor analysis showed FYE students perceive the purpose of Calculus I exams in four ways: with a performance-driven purpose, a future-oriented purpose, an external purpose, or an adverse purpose. IPA revealed that connections between these perceptions of Calculus I exams and a student’s perceptions of their future in engineering were driven by the student’s perceived instrumentality of Calculus itself and the perceived instrumentality of the exams. Math test anxiety also played a role as an outcome of students’ identified future goal paths contingent on Calculus exams. These findings exemplify how students’ perceptions of the purpose of assessments differ from those reported by instructors and researchers within the literature. Being explicit in communicating the purpose of assessments is a step toward ensuring those assessments align with what is valued in a curriculum and in the professional formation of engineers.

Overview of the Geriatrics Curriculum In recent years, we have developed and strengthened the geriatrics curriculum through a deliberate process of specifying learning outcomes, identifying existing geriatrics content, designing and implementing new learning activities and resources, and assessing students’ geriatrics-related knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Further, recent changes in the curriculum governance structure ensure ongoing assessment and improvement of the geriatrics curriculum. The geriatrics curriculum now is fully integrated in required courses across all four years of the curriculum, providing a coherent and comprehensive program that prepares students to care effectively and compassionately for older adults. A unique feature of our curriculum is its focus on preparing students to improve the health of the state’s population, which includes a growing number of citizens over the age of 65. Approximately 40% of clinical teaching takes place in communities throughout the state, where students learn about caring for diverse populations in a variety of communities and health care settings. Curriculum Management and Governance Structure (see Figure 1)FIGURE 1. Governance StructureIn January 2002, the Curriculum Management and Policy Committee (CMPC) was established as the central body responsible for curriculum management and governance. The CMPC is chaired by the executive associate dean for medical education, who reports to the dean, and its members are the co-chairs of the three course directors’ committees and the associate deans for admission, student affairs, and educational development. The following committees report to and advise the CMPC and are the avenue by which the geriatrics curriculum has been integrated in the overall curriculum: Three course directors’ committees, one each for the first and second year, and one for the third and fourth years combined, are responsible for overseeing, coordinating, and improving the individual courses and overall curriculum for each year. The co-chairs of these committees are appointed by the executive associate dean for medical education. Each committee is composed of all of the course directors for the respective year(s). Ex-officio members include staff from the Office of Medical Education and student representatives. The director of the Program on Aging, as a second-year course director, is a member of that committee and also attends the first-, third- and fourth-year committee meetings. The Curriculum Advisory Board convenes quarterly to serve as a forum for all constituencies and stakeholders involved with the educational program for the MD degree, to share ideas about the curriculum, and discuss current practice, concerns, and plans. The director of the Program on Aging is a member of this committee. Two additional committees report to the CMPC and have supported the development of the geriatrics curriculum: The Faculty Advisory Committee on Educational Technology advises the executive associate dean for medical education on matters regarding effective selection and use of educational technology and information systems. Much of the computer-assisted geriatrics instruction has been facilitated by this group. The Whitehead Curriculum Committee, an arm of the Whitehead Medical Society (the student government), works to improve individual courses and the overall curriculum and serves as the liaison among students, student government, and the Curriculum Management and Policy Committee. Each year the two second-year students who are elected co-vice presidents for curriculum of the Whitehead Medical Society serve as co-chairs of the committee, which is composed of student representatives from each class, the co-chairs of the course directors’ committees, the executive associate dean for medical education, and the associate deans for student affairs and educational development. Whitehead representatives attend meetings of the course directors’ committees and Curriculum Advisory Board. The new governance structure has permitted organizational and administrative flexibility to manage and coordinate the curriculum and to react to a rapidly changing academic medical center environment to facilitate change if and when it is deemed necessary. The strengthening of the geriatrics curriculum has been and continues to be a critical focus. In addition to the overall curriculum governance structure of the medical school, the Geriatrics Curriculum Committee (GCC), centered in the Program on Aging, serves as a major force in the development of the geriatrics curriculum. The seven-member interdisciplinary GCC, chaired by the director of the Program on Aging, was created to remedy gaps in the geriatrics curriculum. The group’s accomplishments include: development of a comprehensive syllabus outlining geriatrics learning objectives and content that all medical students should master prior to graduation; thiswas done through surveying practicing physicians to determine the skills needed to work effectively with elders in the community and following guidelines from the American Geriatrics Society (“Areas of Basic Competency for the Care of Older Patients for Medical and Osteopathic Schools,” 1998); evaluation of existing geriatrics content and learning activities to assess where and how well these topics are taught in the curriculum; and implementation of educationally sound methods to address geriatrics components that may not be fully incorporated into the medical curriculum. Plans developed by the GCC are shared with the three course directors’ committees and the Curriculum Advisory Board via the Program on Aging representative. THE AAMC/HARTFORD GERIATRICS CURRICULUM PROGRAM Institutional Involvement in Curricular Change The John A. Hartford Foundation grant received through the AAMC in June 2000 provided the resources that allowed us to strengthen and build the geriatrics curriculum across all four years, expand our outreach to students interested in geriatrics medicine, and document those areas in the curriculum where geriatrics knowledge and skills were inadequate or lacking. Specifically, our goals were to increase (1) the exposure of all students to core geriatrics content to help ensure a sound knowledge base for practice, (2) the number of opportunities for student exposure to older adults to support empathic practice, based upon an appreciation of normal and successful aging as well as its challenges, and (3) educational experiences to engage students in applying their knowledge and skills to solve complex problems in geriatrics medicine. These efforts were well received by faculty and students and resulted in increased visibility throughout the School of Medicine and increased awareness of the importance of geriatric medicine as an inherent component of core competencies. Both before and midway through the grant period, institutional involvement in curriculum change permitted even greater achievements in enhancing the geriatrics program. Prior to this, the Program on Aging had limited opportunities to make formal recommendations regarding medical school curriculum design and content, with virtually no active, authoritative role in the decision-making process. In 1999, the large and unwieldy First- and Second-Year Course Directors’ Committee was divided in two, so that each committee could focus exclusively on a single year’s curriculum. This promoted more intense and focused work on analyzing the curriculum and determining ways to strengthen it. In 2001, the dean appointed the Leadership Task Force on the Outcomes of the Medical School Curriculum, composed of nine department chairs representing both basic and clinical sciences. This committee was charged with describing the core competencies (learning objectives) to be achieved by graduating medical students and with revising the curriculum governance structure to promote efficient and effective decision making. The subsequent establishment of a set of core competencies and the reconfiguration of the governance structure (described above) resulted in major curriculum changes, with significant implications for expanding the depth and breath of geriatrics content throughout the four-year curriculum. The Second-Year Course Directors’ Committee transformed the second-year curriculum from separate courses generated by each department into integrated block courses focusing on organ systems. The committee also established both an introductory and a capstone block to begin and end the year, with each of these blocks using case-based learning with a strong geriatrics focus. Theme for the Geriatrics Curriculum The teaching mission of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and the Program on Aging is to build the capacity of UNC to prepare health care providers at all levels for evidence-based, outcomes-oriented health care for older adults and ultimately, to improve or preserve their level of function and quality of life. The major theme for the geriatrics dimension of the UNC medical school curriculum is twofold, to ensure (1) that the geriatrics curriculum is a recognizable and integral component throughout all four years of the medical curriculum; and (2) that students, faculty, and administrators recognize that the mastery of geriatrics competencies is most effectively achieved within an interdisciplinary system of care delivery that recognizes the interdependence of education; research; primary, subspecialty, and ancillary care; and public policy and regulation. The questions that must be addressed for each curricular activity are “How does this intervention affect the student’s acquisition of identifiable geriatric core competencies?” and “How does this intervention increase the student’s understanding and implementation of interdisciplinary team skills?” An additional theme is the commitment to recognize and encourage those students who have a particular interest in geriatrics and the potential to be leaders in the field, regardless of their subspecialty interest. Learning Outcomes for the Geriatrics Curriculum After completion of the enhanced four-year geriatrics curriculum, students will be able to describe age-related physiological changes, differentiate between normal aging and disease processes, demonstrate the problem-solving ability necessary to provide care to older persons, exhibit the professional qualities of integrity, compassion, thoroughness, responsibility, and commitment to caring for older persons, identify political, financial, and social factors that affect delivery of care, and recognize their own potential and that of their patients for subscribing to aging stereotypes. Special Programs Community partnerships Community partnerships play an essential role in fulfilling the university’s commitment to prepare professionals to meet the health care needs of North Carolina’s citizens. The Program on Aging facilitates student involvement in two partnerships that offer a variety of opportunities for work with older adults across the spectrum of geriatrics issues: The Program on Aging enjoys a strong and longstanding relationship with the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) program, a nationally recognized model for interdisciplinary education and training of health care providers. Several regional AHECs collaborate with us on innovative projects to ensure that there are community clinical training sites with well-qualified preceptors available to teach geriatrics knowledge and clinical skills. The Education for Lifelong Service (ELS) Program provides students with community service opportunities, complemented by a curriculum designed to foster leadership skills in service delivery. ELS has responsibility for the newly established Office of Community Service and sponsors courses on the care of underserved and vulnerable populations, including activities that emphasize services to older adults. Program on Aging representatives participate on the ELS leadership team. Standardized geriatric patients The UNC School of Medicine Standardized Patient (SP) Program, administered by the Office of Educational Development, gives students opportunities to practice communication and diagnostic and examination skills before they encounter patients in the actual clinical setting. In addition, the program provides a mechanism to assess these same skills in a standardized format. The program maintains an active database of SPs, including those who are suitable for presentation of geriatric illnesses and situations. Simulated case presentations using geriatric standardized patients are frequently requested for classroom learning, most notably in the first- and second-year Introduction to Clinical Medicine course, in second- year integrated cases, and as part of the fourth-year Clinical Performance Examination, which students must pass in order to graduate. Faculty development The Office of Educational Development provides several faculty development programs and activities in which geriatrics faculty participate and that help to strengthen the geriatrics curriculum. The Expert Preceptor Program, designed for practitioners in community-based clinical settings, is available in an online, interactive format known as the Expert Preceptor Interactive Curriculum. This is a self-paced program comprising modules that can be used individually as information resources or collectively as a complete curriculum. Each module focuses on a skill related to clinical teaching in the community practice setting or on strategies for teaching contemporary health issues. The Teaching Scholars Program is a year-long series of monthly seminars designed to promote expertise and scholarship in medical education for fellows and faculty. In addition, participants choose a specific area of educational interest to pursue in depth and present their results to colleagues at a symposium at the conclusion of the program. Completion of the program confers recognition as a scholar in medical education, and graduates are targeted for positions of leadership in the curriculum. Each year, ten teaching scholars are chosen from faculty nominated by their department chairs, with at least one participant from the Program on Aging. The Excellence in Teaching Series consists of monthly seminars and workshops focused on innovative approaches that enhance learning and instruction in medical education. These sessions provide a forum for participants to discuss practical approaches that facilitate and maximize student learning. The series is designed for faculty and residents who have responsibility for teaching in the classroom, lab, and/or clinical setting. Consultations on teaching and curriculum development issues are provided for individuals or groups of faculty as needed. Faculty and staff from the Office of Educational Development work closely with the Program on Aging to provide ongoing support for efforts to enhance the geriatrics curriculum. Student interest group The UNC Student Chapter of the American Geriatrics Society is a student-led organization for physicians-in-training who have an interest in geriatrics medicine regardless of intended area of specialty. The group focuses on ways to enhance the visibility of geriatrics issues at the UNC School of Medicine and to provide educational programs on geriatric medicine. For those students specifically interested in careers in geriatrics, the chapter seeks to develop leadership skills in geriatrics medicine by sponsoring interdisciplinary educational programs, encouraging research participation, and creating geriatrics-related community service opportunities. The leaders of this student group have initiated a one-hour orientation to geriatric patient care for first year students prior to their community week experience. (See the discussion of “Students’ Clinical Experiences” below.) Palliative care and end-of-life issues In the first year, the required Medicine and Society course provides multiple opportunities for exploration of the social aspects of aging in our society and in politics, as well as the economic factors affecting geriatrics health care. Students discuss various medical-ethical issues found most often among the elderly, e.g., palliative care and end-of-life decisions. In the second year, up to 20 students may select the seminar entitled The Good Death or the Good Fight: Ethnical, Legal, and Policy Issues in Medical Choices as their required humanities and social sciences seminar. A fourth-year elective course sponsored by the Department of Medicine specifically addresses palliative care and end-of-life issues. Palliative Medicine is a six semester-hour, interdisciplinary course taught by faculty from the Departments of Medicine (including a certified geriatrician) and Psychiatry; the Schools of Social Work, Pharmacy, and Nursing; and the Hospital Chaplaincy Office. Resulting Pedagogical Changes Program on Aging faculty promote the importance of teaching methods that encourage students’ active engagement in learning processes that are both self-directed and collaborative. One approach that has proven particularly effective is a merger of evidence-based and problem-based methods. Students are given a clinical vignette in which a patient presents with symptoms and complaints (a problem-based case). Students work in teams to define the problem and set priorities for self-directed (evidence-based) study. This approach is especially appropriate where students must understand the unique and complex presentation of common illnesses among older adults. Specific curricular enhancements include: The Introduction to Clinical Medicine course for first-year students (ICM-1), which devotes time for more in-depth presentations of topics that traditionally have not been an inherent component of the medical curriculum. When these “special topics” were introduced into the curriculum in 1998, geriatrics medicine was included as a three-hour roundtable discussion. Today, the day-long seminar on aging is a firmly established component of ICM-1. Through the AAMC-Hartford program, we further developed this activity to include a lecture and exercise on ageism and aging stereotypes. Strengthened geriatrics content in the following targeted first- and second-year courses: Psychiatry, Gross Anatomy, Immunology, Cardiovascular System, and Respiratory System. The success of this collaborative effort with individual course directors led to an invitation to participate in the design and implementation of the new second-year integrated curriculum. Other regularly scheduled, geriatrics-specific teaching opportunities for required first- and second-year courses. These include geriatrics assessment interviews with standardized patients, a polypharmacy component for the pharmacy course, a geriatrics problem-based case that addresses end-of-life issues, and geriatrics case exercises; they were developed for use in the new introductory and capstone block courses in the second-year curriculum. An interactive, Web-based geriatrics case exercise for the first-year Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) course, which was developed, integrated, and titled “Meet Mrs. Jefferson.” A problem-based case, “Robert Waters,” was developed for the second-year ICM course. A “patient bank” of geriatric subjects for student interviews for the required first-year Medicine and Society course. Students are assigned two patients to interview in teams (two to three students per team). The assignment required recruitment of a significant number of patient-volunteers. Geriatricians from the Program on Aging assisted with recruitment, providing an additional opportunity to ensure a geriatrics component in course content. Additions of geriatrics content to the third-year family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, and obstetrics - gynecology (See “Students’ Clinical in below.) of the required fourth-year care to include two additional care geriatrics These two sites are in communities with the growing populations in the In addition to the required courses and activities the Program on Aging sponsors the following elective For years, the Program on Aging has sponsored a elective course, known as designed to provide first- and second-year students with clinical care of older patients in and care and opportunities for The Program the by groups of students to an geriatrics to make to older patients and to patients over an Geriatric Education Consultations provide a forum for students to with a master geriatrics clinical team to community-based sites for interdisciplinary with practitioners regarding complex geriatric patient issues. Students who are based in the community are often in with patients or family members and responsibility for case presentations and on geriatrics are through the Departments of Medicine and including in in Geriatric Health and and An to of Technology The School of Medicine that all first-year medical students a and that are specifically to ensure that all students have and to all resources needed for the medical school curriculum. Each student has a at or assigned and each lecture has as resources are and begin with the course that serve as the for course The first-year course students how to and research and build The Educational Technology provides faculty and staff with and to for curricular course directors with and provide expertise necessary to teaching resources to the classroom, the lab, and the clinical setting. This strong learning environment our commitment to evidence-based practice and learning, as in Pedagogical of the ways in which technology the geriatrics curriculum include use of an geriatrics case-based exercise in the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course, and providing students with the appropriate information resources needed to complete the case-based in the introductory and capstone block courses in the second year. Clinical in Geriatrics One and Two the first two years of the medical curriculum focus on students a in the basic the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course provides clinical experiences as Students are introduced to basic clinical skills on in sessions with faculty In addition, they in community-based care Students learn the complete and in the of a approach to care. Both in the classroom and their clinical in the students are to the spectrum of care, from to The Student Chapter of the American Geriatrics Society has initiated a one-hour week seminar for first-year students focusing on basic care issues common to older the internal medicine at least one of the required patient must focus on a patient or the obstetrics and gynecology each student is required to complete two of and two of and attend of and two of which address issues often in geriatric patients, e.g., and Students are responsible for case one of which must be of a patient age or The Geriatric and Management on the service is one of six students can choose to meet the This geriatrics clinical is available for six the academic year and can six students per Through the students learn clinical skills in the of among geriatric geriatrics content the family medicine among overall at least of patients by students are age or and on geriatrics issues are throughout the The required care has two newly established geriatrics-specific sites where students have clinical preceptors who are certified In the academic year students received geriatrics clinical training at these provide additional opportunities for fourth-year students to complete clinical geriatric One is a where the student is assigned to a variety of clinical to work with certified The second is a where the student works with a certified geriatrics to provide comprehensive and for specifically assigned In both the students are to focus on a specific area of interest. The and An clinical examination is used to assess students in the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course, faculty to and how well students specific clinical skills and Students through a series of patient For each the student is to a and a faculty the student’s using a assessment Standardized geriatrics patients are included in this of geriatrics content that is in the courses and is by including appropriate on the various and In with the and Course Directors’ Committee, the Office of Educational Development the Clinical Performance a assessment required of all fourth-year to patient in North the a patient that and medical problems most frequently in care in this geriatrics one to one third of the The is designed to ensure that relationship and communication skills, examination skills, skills, and management and assessment skills are across to Students a that provides a of each case, for each case, overall and skill In with the students are given a case-based geriatrics developed by the Program on Aging. For both the and the the Program on Aging works with the Office of Educational Development to ensure that core geriatrics competencies are included in the to the Program a of the success we have in geriatrics needs to the we are now with the for ongoing faculty teaching time and significant staff and expand our educational programs in all we must engage new faculty as well as who can a geriatrics component to the training they offer in their respective The success of the John A. grant has the for a comprehensive approach to geriatrics education. must to new ways to address the needs of at to assess the of new and to rapidly new information and methods to our Outcomes The recent of the second-year curriculum from courses to integrated blocks us an opportunity to more fully develop the geriatrics curriculum. The provides an for case-based learning the AAMC-Hartford had given new to geriatrics content, we were able to for additional case-based geriatrics The introductory block with a evidence-based case using a geriatric The case provided an opportunity to demonstrate how diagnostic information is used in patient care, to emphasize the of geriatrics care, and to students’ awareness regarding the of health care issues by this rapidly growing of the The capstone block focuses on two patient cases, one of which an Both are designed to multiple aspects of medical care that were addressed in Students work in groups to the including and and The of the curriculum governance system allowed for more Program on Aging involvement in curriculum Through committee the Program on Aging continues to new and from faculty to in and implementing geriatrics teaching resources and of The Program on Aging has achieved an level of visibility and within the School of Medicine and throughout all the and programs in the UNC Division of Health is a relationship with the Office of Medical Education and with individual course a commitment to ensure that geriatrics content and an integral component of required courses. available between 2000 and the staff time needed to collaborate with course directors and offer geriatrics-specific classroom and learning the two years, these course have and the Program on Aging has on all course directors’ committees and in curriculum design and The by the AAMC-Hartford allowed us to for additional from the is us both further expand the medical student curriculum and also build educational programs for and faculty, including community-based For further at

In recent years, a lot of focus has been laid on interdisciplinary subjects and projects in Engineering education. Robotics is the one field of engineering, which can be introduced at the first year to promote the interdisciplinary learning environment among the undergraduate engineering students. In this paper, we describe the curriculum of Build Your Own Robot (BYOR) Course introduced for the first engineering students as a skill development program and presented the students’ learning experiences on the course based on the survey conducted for first year 780 students. The survey shows the positive feedback received for the effectiveness of the implemented course and has helped in improving the curriculum for further development. Keywords—Skill Development; Robotics; Interdisciplinary; Self-competence; C Programming; Curriculum

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate questionnaires aimed at students, faculty, and administrators to evaluate the quality of Learning Management System (LMS) platforms in university contexts. A methodological design based on the modified Delphi method was adopted, applied in two rounds of consultation with 12 experts in educational technology, pedagogy, instructional design, and digital platform management. The items were evaluated based on criteria of clarity and relevance using a Likert scale, and analyzed through descriptive statistics, Cohen’s Kappa coefficient, and Cronbach’s Alpha. The findings show high levels of agreement among experts (Cohen’s Kappa > 0.75) and high internal reliability of the questionnaires (α > 0.94), demonstrating the robustness of the instruments developed. The multidimensional validation (technical, pedagogical, usability, and administrative) made it possible to construct comprehensive and coherent tools aligned with the current needs of digital higher education. It is concluded that the validated questionnaires are suitable for evaluating the quality of LMS platforms from different institutional perspectives. As a practical implication, these questionnaires can be used by universities to diagnose strengths and weaknesses in their LMS platforms, facilitating continuous improvement processes and evidence-based decision-making.

This research is aimed to analyze entrepreneurship pedagogy needs of Technology and Vocational Education in higher education. This needs analysis explored deeply the importance of entrepreneurship pedagogy of Technology and Vocational Education including curriculum aspects, instructional materials, pedagogy, and instructional materials needs. The type of the research is descriptive with survey methods. Technique of data collection was spreading questionnaire and interview. The sample is students of Technology and Vocational Education, lecturer of entrepreneurships course, and entrepreneurs. Technique of data analysis used in this research was quantitative and qualitative. Based on the result of needs analysis which is done quantitatively and qualitatively, it can be concluded that (1) there are needs disparity between students and entrepreneurship lecturer, especially in the aspect of learning models (methods, approaches, materials, modules and other instructional materials used), and (2) entrepreneurs hope that there is a curriculum which can enhance the creativity and innovation of the students by considering input from experts in the curriculum preparation. Besides, this research revealed that the students of Technology and Vocational Education, lecturer of entrepreneurships course, needs a development of learning model which supports entrepreneurship pedagogy especially in Technology and Vocational Education.

Purpose – This study aims to provide a comprehensive and novel conceptual analysis, revealing the relationship between “moral,” “morality,” “akhlaq,” and “character,” examining their similarities and differences to provide a more comprehensive understanding of their role in Islamic Religious Education (IRE). Design/methods/approach – This study uses an in-depth conceptual analysis approach, dissecting these terms through a multi-stage process: 1) an extensive literature review to understand historical and contemporary definitions, 2) a comparison of these definitions to identify similarities and discrepancies, 3) contextual exploration that considers cultural and linguistic uses in different societies, and 4) theoretical applications based on insights from functionalist theory, Sufi psychology, and Tazkiyah theory. Findings – The study used an in-depth conceptual analysis approach, dissecting these terms through a multi-stage process: 1) an extensive literature review to understand historical and contemporary definitions, 2) a comparison of these definitions to identify similarities and discrepancies, 3) a contextual exploration that considers cultural and linguistic uses in different societies, and 4) theoretical applications based on insights from functionalist theory, Sufi psychology, and the theory of Tazkiyah. Research implications/limitations – The study used an in-depth conceptual analysis approach, dissecting these terms through a multi-stage process: 1) an extensive literature review to understand historical and contemporary definitions, 2) a comparison of these definitions to identify similarities and discrepancies, 3) a contextual exploration that considers cultural and linguistic uses in different societies, and 4) theoretical applications based on insights from functionalist theory, Sufi psychology, and the theory of Tazkiyah. Originality/value – The research uniquely explains key moral and ethical terms, providing valuable insights to strengthen IRE science, teaching, learning, curriculum development, and learning environments. The findings may also provide information for IRE teacher education, educational technology, learning assessment, and development education.

Using visualized bibliographic data and a range of quantitative research methods, the analysis of the International Journal of Technology and Design Education (IJTDE), which is included in the core collection of Social Science Citation Index, reached a number of conclusions. Firstly, IJTDE is an important platform for the exchange of research results in the field of technology education, and has a significant influence. Secondly, De Vries, Williams, Ankiewicz and a number of others are influential and prolific authors in the IJTDE. Authors from the USA, England, New Zealand, Taiwan and Australia make most contributions to the IJTDE, Delft University of Technology, University of Auckland and the University of Waikato are the more prolific institutions in the IJTDE. Thirdly, technology education, education, design, science, creativity, technology, design education, knowledge, student, technological literacy and problem solving are the most frequency keywords in the IJTDE. Creativity, design education, problem solving, curriculum development, design and critical thinking, practice, engineering education, and STEM education are research trends in the IJTDE between 2000 and 2018. Fourthly, the discipline knowledge base mainly focuses on teaching and design methods in the technological environment, and the definitions of technology-related concepts. The results enable a deeper understanding and consideration of the content and influence of IJTDE, and the research hotspots in the field of technology education.

Today most engineering programs have some kind of design course at the freshman or sophomore level to introduce students to the process of solving real problems in the face of uncertainty. The trends have been positive changes for engineering and technology students and engineering education. Now that most engineering and engineering technology programs have at least two major design experiences, what is the next step? Although the development of major design courses has changed the overall educational experience for students, it has yet to change much about their experiences in traditional engineering science classes. The basic application and content of these courses are being altered in some programs through the use of integrated curricula, but even those programs could benefit from thinking about the role of design in traditional engineering science classes. The author suggests that the next goal of engineering and technology education should be to truly integrate the traditional engineering science classes with engineering design. There are two primary reasons to include a design component in the majority of engineering science classes: design provides a necessary link from theoretical material to its application in the real world, and design presents a clear avenue for achieving other student learning objectives beyond the development of analytical skills and basic engineering knowledge.

This book serves as a platform for educators and researchers to unite educational technology and social justice. While educational technology is a rapidly changing and progressive field of research and practice, it remains largely separate from education for social justice. Current literature about educational technology is often approached from a technical, how-to perspective that emphasizes ways to implement technology into the classroom. Technology is often viewed as inevitable, yet neutral and value-free. Educational technology, however, is anything but neutral. The contributors collectively advance a hopeful discourse by exploring the potential of technology as a vehicle to transform and emancipate, while not forgoing a critically reflective measure of self-conscious critique of our own role as educators, students, or scholars in oppressive silences, constraints and conditions. This edited collection makes an important and unique contribution to the field, as it will be the first published volume to detail research, theory, and practice regarding student use of technology in achieving liberatory aims since IAP’s 2009 publication, ICT for Education, Development and Social Justice. The fields of educational technology and social justice are vast and applicable in many domains, including teacher education, graduate programs, and K-12 education. This work is intended to appeal to a diverse academic and professional audience of K-12 teachers, teacher educators, educational technology and social justice scholars, and policy makers. Scholars and academics instructing graduate-level educational technology courses can reference this edited collection as the most current text on socially just educational technology. Educational practitioners from teacher education programs and the K-12 sector may use this book as a source of ideas and inspiration to incorporate student use of technology toward emancipatory aims. This title could be adopted as a course text for both undergraduate and graduate education courses in: media literacy, digital literacy, distance education, education for social justice, and teacher preparation, and educational technology courses. Readers will also be able to use the book as a guide when critically analyzing their own professional practice, whether it is in research, working with K-12 students, or preparing future educators or scholars.

The role of modern engineers as problem-definer often require collaborating with cross-disciplinary teams of professionals to understand and effectively integrate the role of other disciplines and accelerate innovation. To prepare future engineers for this emerging role, undergraduate engineering students should engage in collaborative and interdisciplinary activities with faculties and students from various disciplines (e.g., engineering and social science). Such cross-disciplinary experiences of undergraduate engineering students are not common in today's university curriculum. Through a project funded by the division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) of the National Science Foundation (NSF), a research team of the West Virginia University developed and offered a Holistic Engineering Project Experience (HEPE) to the engineering students. Holistic engineering is an approach catering to the overall engineering profession, instead of focusing on any distinctive engineering discipline such as electrical, civil, chemical, or mechanical engineering. Holistic Engineering is based upon the fact that the traditional engineering courses do not offer sufficient non-technical skills to the engineering students to work effectively in cross-disciplinary social problems (e.g., development of transportation systems and services). The Holistic Engineering approach enables engineering students to learn non-engineering skills (e.g., strategic communication skills) beyond engineering math and sciences, which play a critical role in solving complex 21st-century engineering problems. The research team offered the HEPE course in Spring 2020 semester, where engineering students collaborated with social science students (i.e., students from economics and strategic communication disciplines) to solve a contemporary, complex, open-ended transportation engineering problem with social consequences. Social science students also received the opportunity to develop a better understanding of technical aspects in science and engineering. The open-ended problem presented to the students was to "Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure" in connection to the future deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles, which is identified as a grand challenge by the National Academy of Engineers (NAE). The findings of the HEPE offering revealed the effectiveness of implementing a cross-disciplinary course setting in enhancing the team learning experience of the engineering students. In the pre-survey, the similarity between the HEPE and traditional groups was observed in most surveyed constructs. HEPE students showed better performances in the majority of assessed constructs in mid-, and post-surveys than the traditional groups of engineering students. Increased trust while working with cross-disciplinary students and higher awareness and appreciation of their learning outcomes are expected to help engineering students learn non-technical professional skills and work effectively in a collaborative environment. Overall, the findings gathered from this initial HEPE offering can provide early evidence to the engineering and broader higher education community in promoting similar HEPE course offerings to advance the professional formation of engineers. In future, the findings of HEPE course offering in Spring 2020 semester will be compared with the findings of the HEPE course offering in Fall 2020 semester to investigate the consistency of the findings. In addition, future research will implement the HEPE concept in traditional engineering courses and evaluate engineering student's learning beyond the conventional/technical skills.