Providing K-12 students with proper science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is important to ensuring an innovative and prosperous economy. A highly skilled STEM workforce can lead to increased productivity and competitiveness, which can lead to a host of new ideas being researched and developed. STEM workers make added-value products, build bridges and roads, and conduct lifesaving medical research, among other important activities. The use of virtual reality (VR) technology for both education and workforce training has grown in recent years. VR technology can accelerate these processes at maximum efficacy and minimum costs and can have a significant impact on productivity gains, earnings, new jobs, innovation through research and development, and high-growth industries. This paper presents the development of a series of VR modules using the Unity game engine, the HTC VIVE Pro VR headset, and the Hi5 VR glove for the purposes of K-12 STEM education. Specifically, these developed modules have been designed to instruct K-12 students on topics related to motion and heat, with future goals to expand the modules to cover topics related to light, magnetism, electricity, radioactivity, sound, and waves. This paper will cover the methodology and design considerations that went into developing these modules, with a focus on how these modules relate to various learning strategies as well as with existing research on the use of VR in K-12 education.

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of supply chain management practices based on survey responses from a sample of enterprises. Through descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, predictive modeling, advanced analytics techniques such as classification, clustering, and association rule mining, the research offers valuable insights into key areas of collaboration, quality management, technology adoption, agility, risk management, and customer responsiveness within supply chains. The findings highlight the importance of strategic integration, proactive problem-solving, customer-centric practices, and agility in meeting changing demands. The study also identifies distinct profiles of practice adoption and reveals intricate relationships between different supply chain practices. Overall, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of supply chain dynamics and offers actionable insights for improving operational performance and strategic decision-making.

In order to prepare students for the workforce, academic programs incorporate a variety of tools that students are likely to use in their future careers. One of these tools employed by business and technology programs is the integration of live software applications such as SAP through the SAP University Alliance (SAP UA) program. Since the SAP UA program has been around for only about 10 years and the available literature on the topic is limited, research is needed to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the SAP UA program. A collaborative study of SAP UA faculty perceptions of their SAP UAs was conducted in the fall of 2011. Of the faculty invited to participate in the study, 31% completed the online survey. The results indicate that most faculty experienced difficulty implementing SAP into their programs and report that a need exists for more standardized curriculum and training, while a large percentage indicated that they are receiving the support they need from their schools and SAP.

Kouroush Jenab, Donald Staub, Mark Rajai PDF (233 K)
Abstract: Students at risk of dropping out of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs often display signs that indicate they are at risk. A need exists to identify at risk STEM students early and to develop and implement effective intervention strategies that utilize the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach. Most of all, a database system is needed to track this early intervention process, if retention rates are to be improved. To address this need at a small community college in North Carolina, a system was developed and underwent a pilot study in Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. The two pilot groups were compared to the two control groups to identify differences in retention, course credit completion rates, and grade point averages (GPA). The first pilot group displayed no significant differences, while the second pilot group displayed significant differences in most of the areas analyzed in the study, indicating a database system can be used to improve STEM student retention. While the second of the two pilot groups displayed promising results, managerial and logistical issues, such as less than optimal instructor involvement, impeded success were identified. This paper will describe the design, implementation, and the preliminary results of this study and outlines the need for further research that confirms these preliminary findings.