Engineering Education

Researchers in this area develop, test, refine, and implement innovative teaching methods for K-12 outreach, undergraduate, and graduate engineering education. Some such methods include developing active and collaborative hands-on learning scenarios; studying the effects of delivery techniques on student comprehension and application of knowledge; guided independent studies; interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary coursework; and dynamic curricular development that keeps course offerings in line with current industry trends. K-12 outreach initiatives seek to assess and increase interest and participation of underrepresented students in engineering career paths.

Current research in progress includes the following:

(funding bodies in parentheses; Penn State architectural engineering faculty names bolded)

• Research experience for teachers site: Building education (National Science Foundation), Somayeh Asadi, Sez Atamturktur
• Conceptualizing steel gravity system educational materials (American Institute of Steel Construction), Ryan Solnosky
• Activating and engaging architectural engineering First-Year Seminars (Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education), Ryan Solnosky, Sez Atamturktur
• Examining uptake and retention of engineering and computational knowledge while infusing computation and data science into curricula (start-up funding), Rebecca Napolitano, Nathan Brown, Yuqing Hu, Ryan Solnosky, Wesley Reinhart, Allen Kimel
• Implementing a writing to learn approach for conceptual understanding with GIKS (pending support from National Science Foundation), Roy Clariana, Ryan Solnosky
• Integrated delivery of ultra-high-performance buildings (U.S. Department of Education), Robert Leicht
• Augmenting algorithmic thinking for the engineers of the future through a modular robotic-based programmatic learning approach (start-up funding), Houtan Jebelli
• Student Design Build Competition (NCMA Foundation), Aly Said
• Engineering Education Pilot Program: Increasing STEM career awareness and readiness at a low-income high school (College of Engineering ROCKET Seed Grant and Penn State Talent Search), Linda Hanagan