Science AI Journal
Engineering · Research topic

Open research questions in Engineering Education and Pedagogy

172 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 2,035 Engineering Education and Pedagogy papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Traditional digital assessment systems lack diversity in problem configurations. There is a need for methods that can produce richer, more diverse sets of problems.

    Flexible Problem Design for Practice and Assessment in Engineering Mechanics · 2026 · DOI

  • Optimizing laboratory sections to better prepare students for professional practice. Identifying knowledge gaps and connecting different courses' laboratory learning. Implementing a progressive and cyclic approach to teaching laboratory components.

    Making Connection of Learning and Teaching Different Levels and Different Subject Courses' Laboratories with Upper-Level Engineering Courses · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research can evaluate the effectiveness of the optimized laboratory sections. Future research can explore the potential challenges of implementing the proposed approach. Future research can investigate the impact of the paper's approach on student learning outcomes.

    Making Connection of Learning and Teaching Different Levels and Different Subject Courses' Laboratories with Upper-Level Engineering Courses · 2026 · DOI

  • The current learning conditions in Light Vehicle Engineering Vocational Schools are dominated by lecture methods, which makes it difficult for students to understand procedural and mechanical material. There is a need for interactive digital teaching materials to support project-based learning.

    Needs Analysis for Genially-Assisted Project-Based Student Worksheets in Light Vehicle Engineering Vocational Schools · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for a practical approach to training mechanical engineers in programming control systems. The lack of a training system that covers the Ladder Diagram (LD), Function Block Diagram (FBD), and Structured Text (ST) languages.

    The problem of training future design engineers in programming control systems for technological equipment · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge of enabling students to bridge the gap between abstract theoretical constructs and their application to real-world problems. The lack of deep conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills in first-year engineering students.

    Concept scaffolding in problem-based learning: Enhancing conceptual understanding of circular motion in a first-year physics module for engineering students · 2026 · DOI

  • Based on the outcomes of this study, several avenues for future research are recommended. 1. Scaling across contexts: Replication across multiple universities, including both well-resourced and under-resourced institutions, would test the scalability and adaptability of scaffolding within PBL. 2. Longitudinal studies: Future research should track student cohorts beyond a single module to examine whether concept scaffolding-supported PBL fosters long-term retention, progression into advanced modules, and preparedness for professional practice. 3. Extension to other physics domains: Investigating whether scaffolding within PBL improves learning in topics beyond mechanics, such as electromagnetism or quantum physics, would test the broader applicability of the approach. 4. Technology-enhanced scaffolding: With increasing reliance on digital learning environments, research should explore how adaptive technologies, virtual simulations, or artificial intelligence tutors can expand the reach and impact of scaffolding. 5. Equity-focused studies: Given South Africa’s diverse student demographics, future work should specifically investigate how scaffolding impacts students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Such research could provide evidence for policy interventions aimed at improving equity and inclusion in STEM. 6. Instructor perspectives: Finally, examining how instructors design, implement, and adapt concept scaffolding within PBL would provide insights into professional development needs and institutional support structures required for scaling. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that embedding concept scaffolding within a PBL framework is highly effective in fostering conceptual mastery, engagement, confidence and the transfer of physics knowledge to applied engineering contexts. Quantitative and qualitative findings converge to show that students not only improved their problem-solving performance but also gained confidence, motivation, and the ability to articulate design rationales. By embedding guided inquiry, simulations, collaboration, and feedback, students effectively bridged theoretical understanding with real-world engineering applications. These findings affirm international evidence that scaffolding reduces misconceptions and fosters transferable knowledge while addressing South African priorities of equity and epistemological access. Ultimately, scaffolding- supported PBL emerges as a scalable, contextually responsive strategy for advancing foundational STEM education. The broader implications are clear as concept scaffolding-supported PBL offers a scalable, equitable, and contextually relevant strategy for advancing foundational STEM education, particularly in engineering-focused physics. By combining authentic problem-solving with structured supports, the approach addresses cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of learning simultaneously. 53 Kirschner et al., “Why Minimal Guidance during Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology (JELT) 178 Bibin, M. G. / Journal of Education and Learning Technology / Vol.7 No.1 (2026) pp 166 - 181 Although the scope was limited, its findings provide valuable insights to both international and South African debates on effective pedagogy in STEM. With further research to scale and refine the approach, scaffolding within PBL holds the potential to transform first-year physics education into an inclusive, engaging, and professionally relevant foundation for engineering students.

    Concept scaffolding in problem-based learning: Enhancing conceptual understanding of circular motion in a first-year physics module for engineering students · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies can investigate the long-term effects of engineering design pedagogy on preservice teachers' understanding and application of engineering design principles. Future studies can explore the potential of engineering design-based STEM laboratory courses in different educational settings.

    Exploring preservice primary teachers' understanding of the engineering design process through integrated STEM laboratory activities · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to reform STEM education toward a more integrated and transdisciplinary approach. Traditional discipline-based segregated teaching dominates many classrooms, limiting opportunities for meaningful integration across STEM fields.

    Exploring preservice primary teachers' understanding of the engineering design process through integrated STEM laboratory activities · 2026 · DOI

  • Increasing the interest of primary school students in technical subjects. Developing critical thinking and technical skills in elementary education. Implementing hands-on learning approaches in resource-limited educational settings.

    Fostering Prevocational STEAM Learning through Motion-to-Electricity Module: A Hands-on Approach for Elementary Students · 2026 · DOI

  • The study used a one-shot quasi-experimental design, which may not be fully utilized in primary schools. The sample size was limited to 28 fifth-grade students. The study was conducted in a single elementary school in the Banten province.

    Fostering Prevocational STEAM Learning through Motion-to-Electricity Module: A Hands-on Approach for Elementary Students · 2026 · DOI

  • To adjust and optimize the school-running conditions for colleges and universities with different school-running levels and regional geological characteristics. To apply the new teaching mode to similar engineering basic courses.

    The Teaching Reform Path and Practical Exploration of Soil Mechanics Course under the Background of AI Empowerment · 2026 · DOI

  • The traditional soil mechanics classroom teaching mode is solidified and lacks diversified interaction design. The industry's evaluation criteria for civil engineering graduates have changed significantly.

    The Teaching Reform Path and Practical Exploration of Soil Mechanics Course under the Background of AI Empowerment · 2026 · DOI

  • To monitor development and validate the results over time. To apply the approach to other engineering programs. To compare the approach to traditional teaching methods.

    A PROJECT-BASED APPROACH TO CAD EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FORESTRY · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of structured development of team coordination skills in formal education. There is a need for more research on team coordination in engineering education.

    Commitment to team coordination: reflections from undergraduate engineers across three team-based computational modeling projects · 2026 · DOI

  • small sample size, - limited generalizability of the findings, - some students experienced difficulties in completing all the laboratory assignments, - lack of access to specialized methods engineering laboratories

    Enhancing methods engineering education with a digital platform: usability and educational impact on industrial engineering students · 2024 · DOI

  • further studies with larger sample sizes, - investigations into the effectiveness of digital platforms in different educational settings, - research into the impact of prior knowledge and time constraints on student performance

    Enhancing methods engineering education with a digital platform: usability and educational impact on industrial engineering students · 2024 · DOI

  • The gap is that students rarely think of math and language arts as being compatible skills. The gap is that there is a need for techniques that promote interdisciplinary learning.

    Novel Engineering: Students Offer Solutions for Peter in The Snowy Day · 2018 · DOI

  • There is a need to help students better understand engineering and its impact on daily life. The engineering community is working to ensure that STEM education and informal STEM experiences accurately portray the impact of engineering on daily life.

    Unpacking the Engineering Process: Resourcing Trade Books and Biographies · 2018 · DOI

  • These standards sound good, but they beg several questions; namely, what do we know about how, why, and when do engineers read and write as they do their work every day? What do teachers charged with engineering education know about the daily practices of engineers, let alone the literacy practices? In short, little is known about the literacy practices of engineers in the course of their daily work.

    Learning from the Professions: Examining How, Why, and When Engineers Read and Write · 2017 · DOI

  • Because the effectiveness of reaching pedagogical goals with virtual training was demonstrated, it was concluded that the developed software could be substituted for field practice, offering a viable alternative in situations where there are insufficient economic resources for the teaching of topographic surveying.

    Developing Topographic Surveying Software to Train Civil Engineers · 2016 · DOI

  • We discuss our findings by using them to highlight ways in which engineering educators are already thinking effectively, to suggest how the adoption of innovation and professional problem‐solving can serve as promising frameworks for thinking about teaching activity, and to suggest that additional research on engineering teaching take advantage of distributed cognition models to truly understand how our students are taught.

    Investigating the Teaching Concerns of Engineering Educators · 2007 · DOI

  • A package of learning materials, including an open-ended mathematical CAL (computer-aided learning) package, was used to support students whose ability, ambitions and subsequent programmes vary widely.

    Strategies for Teaching Mixed-Attainment Groups in Engineering Education · 2000 · DOI

  • There is a gap in the literature on the difficulties young engineers encounter in their everyday work in organizations. Prior work has focused on occupation-specific stresses in professional engineers, but has not explored the difficulties young engineers encounter in their everyday work.

    Work difficulties and stress in young professional engineers · 1987 · DOI

  • The fragmentary nature of the available evidence makes it difficult to analyse the origins of individual institutes. The origins of smaller mechanics' institutes are particularly obscure.

    The Origins of the Mechanics’ Institutes of North Lancashire · 1987 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Engineering Education and Pedagogy

Most recent work

Find a gap in your own Engineering Education and Pedagogy sub-topic

This page shows what the Engineering Education and Pedagogy literature already flags as unresolved. To narrow it to your specific question, run the guided finder — it searches the gap library on demand and checks candidates against 250M+ OpenAlex works.

Open the Research Gap Finder →

Related topics in Engineering

Human auditory perception and evaluation
604 open questions
Urban Design and Spatial Analysis
486 open questions
Spatial Cognition and Navigation
441 open questions
Traffic and Road Safety
412 open questions
Concrete and Cement Materials Research
299 open questions
Digital Transformation in Industry
287 open questions
Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
283 open questions
Perovskite Materials and Applications
267 open questions
172 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 2,035 Engineering Education and Pedagogy papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

Tools for your next paper

Gaps & Literature SearchFind open questions in any field — 120,000+ open gaps mined from our own library.Pre-CheckIs your paper ready? A Tier 1–5 acceptance probability in seconds.Journal FinderA ranked shortlist of target journals from a 17,500-venue index.Duplicate Publication CheckerCheck prior-publication & salami-slicing risk across 8 sources.Citation GeneratorFreeA DOI or title → APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS. No signup.Graphical Abstract MakerFreeTurn your findings into a colorblind-safe graphical abstract.

Compare the category — Honest roundups of the AI research tools, ours listed alongside the alternatives.

Command palette

Jump anywhere, run any action.