Challenge-Based and Community-Based Teaching and Learning in Engineering and STEM Education

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "STEM Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2024) | Viewed by 15468

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 1 UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
Interests: engineering education; integrated subjects; teaching and learning approaches in higher education; challenge-based or problem-based pedagogical approaches; asset-based instructional frameworks for bilingual learners that encourage young students from diverse backgrounds to excel in mathematics and science courses; community-based and social justice research in engineering education

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Guest Editor
Tecnologico de Monterrey, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14380, Mexico
Interests: analyzing the acquisition of knowledge and the development of both disciplinary and transversal skills through teaching–learning processes using didactic techniques, such as challenge-based learning; research on STEM student development; research on approaches to lesson planning for successful instruction

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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering Technology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
Interests: active teaching and learning; fostering student engagement; interest; understanding and comprehension; project-based learning; problem-based learning; peer teaching; peer scaffolding; challenge-based learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fields of engineering education and STEM education continue to grow with the implementation of refined instructional approaches that use theoretical frameworks related to motivating youths to pursue STEM career paths and theories on how people learn. It should also be noted that the young generations of future engineers are socially aware and concerned about the diversity of communities.

Challenge-based teaching and learning form part of an active learning instructional strategy that has found much success across higher education settings. In addition, community-based learning is another instructional strategy intended to integrate student learning in engineering courses with community engagement opportunities.

Framed by the above context, this Special Issue is focused on important innovations of two kinds, which are as follows: (1) those described as challenge-based research initiatives; (2) those offered as community-based learning projects in higher education and (3) those research-based interventions that combine both challenge-based and community-based teaching and learning. Authors are encouraged to “tell their respective stories”, i.e., provide salient details about the specifications for the implementation design(s), need and opportunity, descriptions of the consequential choices made in the projects selected, and analysis of the impact data collected, if available.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Challenge-based learning experiences in various fields of engineering (industrial, biomedical, mechanical, biotechnology, etc.);
  • STEM education projects with underserved communities/community-based research;
  • Community-based research approaches to learning and teaching engineering design;
  • Engineering for the wellbeing of communities, social justice, and sustainability;
  • Community-based engineering;
  • Problem-based teaching and learning in various fields of engineering;
  • Project-based teaching and learning in K-12 engineering and STEM education.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Araceli Martinez Ortiz
Prof. Dr. Jorge Membrillo-Hernández
Dr. Anthony S. Torres
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • engineering education
  • STEM education
  • active-based
  • challenge-based
  • teaching
  • community-based
  • learning
  • engineering
  • design
  • diversity

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 2772 KiB  
Article
Redefining STEAM to STEAM ∀H (STEAM for All Humanity) in Higher Education
by Nicolás Montés, Sara Barquero, Alfonso Martínez-Carbonell, Paula Aloy, Teresa Ferrer, Pantaleón David Romero, Manuel Millan and Arturo del Saz Salazar
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(8), 888; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14080888 - 15 Aug 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2357
Abstract
This article presents the revision of the STEAM model originally proposed by Yakman, in 2008, introducing the Human variable, as an extremely important element for the model, which was defined as STEAM ∀H, where ∀H is for all Humanity. This proposal is motivated [...] Read more.
This article presents the revision of the STEAM model originally proposed by Yakman, in 2008, introducing the Human variable, as an extremely important element for the model, which was defined as STEAM ∀H, where ∀H is for all Humanity. This proposal is motivated by several factors. On the one hand, the evolution of industrial design from the 19th century to present, going from designing objects focused on facilitating industrialization and focused on the user, to design focused on the human being and humanity. On the other hand, since the formulation of the STEAM model, different improvements have been proposed in the literature in order to introduce humanistic disciplines into the model, also seeking to introduce society as a fundamental element. For example, the literature has proposed the STREAM model, where R is religion, or STEAM-ED, where -ED implies an approach based on the constructivist social theory. The STEAMS model, where S is Society, has also been proposed to try to improve training in understanding society and the implications of designing for it. Initially Yakman introduces the “A” in the STEM model as the sum of different disciplines that use the word “art” in their description: Fine Arts, Physical Arts, Manual Arts and Liberal Arts. The first three disciplines are associated with the practical and also creative part, while the Liberal Arts approach various disciplines in the humanities and social areas. Yakman’s definition of STEAM was quickly accepted and assimilated by the scientific community. However, for the purposes of application, the “A” is treated fundamentally as that creative and artistic component transversal to the rest of the model, relegating humanistic and social learning to the background. In the first section of this article the redefinition of the “A” in the STEAM model is proposed, which was originally defined by Yakman, by integrating the areas of Fine Arts, Physical Arts and Manual Arts; adding ∀H, as STEAM ∀H, which integrates the Liberal Arts, defining the model as: “the learning of Science and Technology interpreted through Engineering and Art based on the language of Mathematics and taking into account the implications of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math’ for all Humanity” The second section of this article proposes the implementation in detail of the STEAM ∀H model in higher education, specifically, in the first year of the Degree in Industrial Design Engineering and Product Development, where the STEAM areas represented by the subjects of Physics, Mathematics, Basic Design, Representation of Shapes, etc., must be integrated with the subject of Social Doctrine of the Church. The model has been tested in three consecutive courses. An empirical qualitative study, case study method was carried out thorugh multiple-question Likert scale questionnaries to analize the perpective and perception of the participants to the new method. The frequency of the results obtained are shown and analized at the end of the article. Full article
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13 pages, 436 KiB  
Article
Problem-Based Teaching: An Exploratory Analysis of Discourse Methods of Peer Facilitators in a Summer Engineering Bridge Program
by Eric Sims, David Horton, Jr., Jaiah Steele, Jeanette Jarvis, Tomika W. Greer, Donna W. Stokes and Jerrod A. Henderson
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070680 - 21 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 913
Abstract
As engineering educators attempt to develop solutions to increase student retention and graduation rates and decrease student departures from their majors during the first two years of study, findings from a summer bridge program at a large minority-serving institution (MSI) show promise for [...] Read more.
As engineering educators attempt to develop solutions to increase student retention and graduation rates and decrease student departures from their majors during the first two years of study, findings from a summer bridge program at a large minority-serving institution (MSI) show promise for practices that could potentially help to mitigate these issues. Summer bridge strategies have been shown to be effective in assisting in college students’ transition from first to sophomore year. This study comprises a case study of a chemical engineering summer bridge program in which undergraduate peer facilitators introduced sophomore-level chemical engineering material and energy balance course material to their peers. The goal of this study was to understand the types of discourse methods used during problem-solving sessions by peer facilitators and how students’ learning experiences were impacted. Data for this study were collected via video observations and a post-program open-ended survey. Authors found that peer facilitators created an environment where students felt encouraged and supported and could relate to facilitators and course materials in new ways. This work further illustrates promising practices of using peer facilitators that need further attention, along with the potential for how engagement and learning could be enhanced by the more formal preparation of peer facilitators. Full article
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19 pages, 4004 KiB  
Article
Implementation of a Mixed Strategy of Gamification and Flipped Learning in Undergraduate Basic Programming Courses
by Gilberto Huesca, Gabriela Campos, Mónica Larre and Claudia Pérez-Lezama
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 474; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13050474 - 6 May 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3976
Abstract
The post-pandemic stage has accelerated the search for innovative ways that impact the teaching–learning process. Flipped learning and gamification have been used as active learning strategies to increase motivation and student learning gains. Both strategies have shown positive results when applied alone and [...] Read more.
The post-pandemic stage has accelerated the search for innovative ways that impact the teaching–learning process. Flipped learning and gamification have been used as active learning strategies to increase motivation and student learning gains. Both strategies have shown positive results when applied alone and when compared to traditional modalities. In this work, we present a quantitative study that was applied to 414 students throughout a complete course of basic programming, divided into four groups: (1) group that applied flipped learning using videos, (2) group that applied outside-class gamification, (3) group that applied both strategies, and (4) control group. A pretest–posttest process, with 96 true or false questions test, was applied to the groups to find out the normalized learning achievements of the students. A statistical analysis found that the students in groups 1 and 2 performed significantly better (+9%) than the students in the control group. In addition, the students of group 3 had a lower performance than the students of groups 1 and 2 (−10%). Our results confirm that active learning in a flipped classroom and the use of gamification can be useful and strategic tools for advancing the new way of educating in the post-pandemic period. Full article
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23 pages, 1488 KiB  
Article
Taking the Challenge: An Exploratory Study of the Challenge-Based Learning Context in Higher Education Institutions across Three Different Continents
by Antoine van den Beemt, Patricia Vázquez-Villegas, Sonia Gómez Puente, Fiona O’Riordan, Clare Gormley, Feng-Kuang Chiang, Chuntao Leng, Patricia Caratozzolo, Genaro Zavala and Jorge Membrillo-Hernández
Educ. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13030234 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6759
Abstract
Teaching by subjects and contents where students passively receive knowledge is increasingly obsolete. Universities are opting for teaching strategies supporting skills development to face the labor, social, environmental, and economic conditions afflicting us. Employers demand increasingly complex skills; universities have identified experiential learning [...] Read more.
Teaching by subjects and contents where students passively receive knowledge is increasingly obsolete. Universities are opting for teaching strategies supporting skills development to face the labor, social, environmental, and economic conditions afflicting us. Employers demand increasingly complex skills; universities have identified experiential learning as giving access to real situations and learning by doing. One of the most advanced strategies is Challenge-Based Learning (CBL). Through real problem situations, faculty and students collaborate to solve an established challenge, with or without external stakeholders. This educational advancement has been global and is developing graduates with international skills, which ensures a world-class standard. Here we report a global study carried out in universities from three different continents, and we analyze the implementations of CBL in educational programs through cases in Mexico, The Netherlands, Ireland, and China. Developing skills and competencies is evident, and CBL is a viable way to ensure the success of Higher Education graduates. Obstacles in the transformation of faculty towards CBL are a similar fence in all cases. For CBL, the path needs to be explored, as it is on the frontline of educational developments that can be most helpful for developing a new paradigm in education. Full article
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