Development of STEM Educational Application with Easy Java Simulation in Mining & Metallurgical Engineering—Case Study on Mineral Processing

Abstract

Although there is a widely expressed need for the adoption of new didactic approaches that promote the active participation of learners, especially in tertiary-level education, research endeavors in this topic are limited. Seeking to contribute to the limited research activity on the application of innovative educational applications in university education, an EJS educational application for ‘university level’ engineering studies was developed and incorporated in a problem-based learning activity during the teaching of a “particle size-reduction process of ores” topic. Analysis of the research results revealed that the adoption of a STEM educational approach contributed directly to the students’ performance, reaffirming the significant prospects arising with the use of modern educational approaches, as well as with the use of innovative educational tools, at tertiary-level education.

Keywords

• STEM
• educational application
• tertiary level education
• mineral processing