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Education Sciences
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Engineering Education: Innovation Through Integration
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Engineering Education: Innovation Through Integration

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2026) | Viewed by 2008

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Jennifer Amos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Interests: engineering education and assessment; P-12 engineering outreach and identity formation; transfer student experiences; social science and engineering integration; cognitive and affective assessments

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are thrilled to invite submissions for a Special Issue of Engineering Education: Innovation Through Integration, which seeks to spotlight bold, creative, and forward-thinking approaches that are transforming engineering education through meaningful integration with other disciplines, sectors, and technologies.

As the boundaries of engineering continue to evolve, so too must the ways we teach and learn it. This Special Issue offers a platform to explore how interdisciplinary collaboration, cross-sector partnerships, and technological innovation are reshaping the educational landscape—preparing engineers not just for the challenges of today, but for the opportunities of tomorrow.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions that explore how engineering education is being broadened, enriched, and reimagined through integration with diverse contexts. Whether through curriculum design, pedagogical strategies, or institutional partnerships, we are particularly interested in work that demonstrates transformative potential and real-world impact.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Bridging Engineering with Social Sciences and the Humanities: Integrating ethics, communication, design thinking, and social responsibility into technical education.
  • From STEM to STEAM: Fostering creativity and innovation through the inclusion of the arts.
  • Engineering and Business: Embedding entrepreneurship, innovation management, and systems thinking into engineering programs.
  • Career-Integrated Learning: Exploring apprenticeships, cooperative education, and industry-aligned learning models.
  • Global Classrooms: Designing and delivering globally integrated projects, with or without physical exchange.
  • Immersive Technologies in Education: Leveraging virtual reality, augmented reality, and other digital tools to enhance learning experiences.
  • Assessment and Accreditation: Addressing the challenges and opportunities of evaluating integrated learning outcomes in diverse educational settings.

By focusing on these themes, this Special Issue aims to serve as a catalyst for innovation in engineering education. We look forward to your contributions and to showcasing the exciting work being carried out at the intersection of engineering and the wider world.

Dr. Jennifer Amos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • engineering education
  • social sciences
  • humanities
  • entrepreneurship
  • immersive learning

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

38 pages, 1183 KB  
Article
Context-Sensitive Team Formation in Engineering Education: Structural Optimization of TREO-Based Assignment Across Sections with Contrasting Role Diversity Profiles
by Yasmany García-Ramírez and Pablo Campoverde-Guerrero
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(3), 364; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16030364 - 26 Feb 2026
Viewed by 469
Abstract
Effective team formation strategies must account for baseline behavioral diversity within student populations, yet most approaches apply uniform parameters regardless of section characteristics. This exploratory, quasi-experimental study proposes a context-sensitive framework for Team Role Experience and Orientation (TREO)-based team formation across two sections [...] Read more.
Effective team formation strategies must account for baseline behavioral diversity within student populations, yet most approaches apply uniform parameters regardless of section characteristics. This exploratory, quasi-experimental study proposes a context-sensitive framework for Team Role Experience and Orientation (TREO)-based team formation across two sections of a road geometric design course (N = 77 civil engineering undergraduates). We systematically evaluated 80 team formation configurations per section (16 thresholds × 5 group sizes) to maximize structural differentiation between role-balanced and role-redundant teams. Baseline diagnostics revealed substantial differences in role diversity, justifying independent optimization. Section A (role-redundant) achieved strong structural separation, whereas Section B (role-diverse) showed weak or negative separation across all configurations, reflecting limitations in achieving consistent complementarity contrasts. Post-project surveys assessed perceived role complementarity, team dynamics, and performance. Across both sections, perceptual differences between conditions were small and non-significant, indicating that structural role differentiation does not automatically translate into subjective team experience. However, perceptual trends varied systematically by baseline diversity, highlighting the moderating role of section composition. These findings emphasize the importance of diagnostic indices (Ref, IDR) for selecting and interpreting team formation strategies and support the use of adaptive, context-sensitive approaches in engineering education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education: Innovation Through Integration)
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30 pages, 6245 KB  
Article
Learning to Engineer: Integrating Robotics-Centred Project-Based Learning in Early Undergraduate Education
by Pg Emeroylariffion Abas
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(1), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010105 - 10 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 914
Abstract
Engineering programmes have been giving more weight to experiential learning, largely because many students still find it difficult to see how classroom theory connects to the work that engineers handle on the ground. With this in mind, a robotics-centred Project-based Learning (PBL) module [...] Read more.
Engineering programmes have been giving more weight to experiential learning, largely because many students still find it difficult to see how classroom theory connects to the work that engineers handle on the ground. With this in mind, a robotics-centred Project-based Learning (PBL) module was introduced to first-year general engineering students as part of the faculty’s engineering spine. The module asks students to design, build, and program small autonomous robots capable of navigating and competing in a set arena. Even a simple task of this kind draws together multiple strands of engineering. Students shift between sketching mechanical layouts, wiring basic circuits, writing code, testing prototypes, and negotiating the usual challenges that arise when several people share responsibility for the same piece of hardware. To explore how students learned through the module, a mixed-methods evaluation was carried out using survey responses alongside reflective pieces written by the students themselves. Certain patterns appeared repeatedly. Many students felt that their technical skills had grown, particularly in breaking down a messy problem into smaller, more workable components. Teamwork also surfaced as a prominent theme. Groups often had to sort out issues such as a robot veering off course due to a misaligned sensor or a block of code producing unpredictable behaviour. These issues were undoubtedly challenging for the students, but they also had a certain pedagogical flavour, with many students describing them as a source of frustration as well as a learning opportunity. Later iterations of the module may benefit from more targeted support at key stages. Despite the many challenges, robotics has been shown to be an attractive way for students to step into engineering practice. The project helped them build technical capability, but it also encouraged habits that matter just as much in real work, such as planning, communicating clearly, and returning to a problem until it behaves as expected. Taken together, the experience offers useful guidance for curriculum designers seeking to create early learning environments that feel authentic and manageable and for motivating students who are just beginning their engineering journey. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Engineering Education: Innovation Through Integration)
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