bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Learning Community of University Freshman Design, Freshman Graphics, and High School Technology Students: Description, Projects, and Assessment
Authors: Rutar Teodora , Mason Greg
Published: January 2013

A learning community was developed to enhance the teamwork and communication components of a freshman design course. The learning community was comprised of students from a freshman design course, a freshman graphics course, and a high school technology course. Design teams were formed by combining three to four students from each of these courses. These teams were required to research, design, build, and test a specified product. The high school and university students communicated only using e‐mails and Internet conferencing. This paper outlines how the learning community is implemented, describes three design projects, and presents the assessment methods. Assessment reveals that university students who participate in the learning community have a better understanding and confidence in the technical aspects of the design project than the students who do not participate in the learning community. It also reveals that high school participants display notable interest in the engineering design process.
Integrating Undergraduate Research into Engineering: A Communications Approach to Holistic Education
Authors: Thompson Nancy S. , Alford Elisabeth M. , Liao Changyong , Johnson Robert , Matthews Michael A.
Published: January 2013

This paper describes the Research Communications Studio (RCS), a structured approach for teaching undergraduate researchers to do authentic written, oral, and graphical communications tasks while they are learning to do research. In the RCS, small groups of undergraduate researchers meet weekly with a communications faculty member, an engineering graduate student mentor, and a communications graduate research assistant. The project is built upon social constructivist theory that recognizes the interdependence between communication, cognitive development, and metacognition. It investigates knowledge construction within a small‐group context of distributed cognition, the concept that each group member's expertise is available to other group members. Data from surveys indicate that engineering faculty members, graduate student mentors, and undergraduate participants were very positive about the progress participants made in cognitive development and communications abilities. Analysis of participants' reflective writings shows the development of metacognitive abilities necessary for self‐directed, life‐long learning.
The Use of Discriminant Analysis to Investigate the Influence of Non‐Cognitive Factors on Engineering School Persistence
Authors: Burtner Joan
Published: January 2013

This study identified post‐enrollment attitudes and perceptions that influence students' decisions to remain in an engineering curriculum. Non‐cognitive factors including expectations and perception of the engineering profession, assessment of personal attributes, and subject‐matter confidence were investigated. Discriminant analysis functions were developed to distinguish among three mutually exclusive groups: those who remained in the engineering school, those who remained at the university in a different school, and those who left the university altogether. Self‐reported confidence in college‐level math/science ability and the belief that an engineering degree enhances career security at a respectable salary were found to be significant predictors of both short‐term and long‐term persistence in engineering.
Developing On‐Line Homework for Introductory Thermodynamics
Authors: Taraban Roman , Anderson Edward E. , Hayes Matthew W. , Sharma M.P.
Published: January 2013

Homework in engineering courses is used to develop problem‐solving skills and to provide students with the practice they need in order to achieve mastery of essential concepts and procedures in their disciplines. We describe homework exercises that were developed for introductory thermodynamics and delivered to students via the Internet. Records of student use were created automatically by the computer server. The data revealed students' patterns of software usage in the context of the course; additional data from course instructors revealed the extent to which completing the on‐line homework improved students' in‐class test performance.
Engineering Students' Perceptions of and Attitudes Towards Cheating
Authors: Carpenter Donald D. , Harding Trevor S. , Finelli Cynthia J. , Montgomery Susan M. , Passow Honor J.
Published: January 2013

Academic dishonesty has become a serious problem at institutions of higher learning. This is particularly true in engineering where, according to previous research, engineering undergraduates are among the most likely to cheat in college. To investigate this concern, the authors embarked on a research project whose goal was to develop a better understanding of what students and faculty perceive as cheating and to use this knowledge to help instructors and institutions increase the level of academic integrity among students. The primary instrument for this project was a seven‐page survey that was administered to 643 engineering and pre‐engineering undergraduates at eleven institutions, ranging from community colleges to large research universities. This manuscript provides an overview of the descriptive data from the PACES‐1 Survey organized around the following questions: what is student cheating and how often does it occur; why do students cheat; and what methods can be used to reduce or stop cheating?
Task Relevant Information in Engineering Problem Solving
Authors: Kumsaikaew Piyamart , Jackman John , Dark Veronica J.
Published: January 2013

Identifying task relevant information in an engineering problem solving environment is a critical step in the problem solving process. An experiment was conducted in which engineering students identified task relevant information in a set of engineering problems that differed in terms of information density and relevant information distribution. Signal Detection Theory and cluster analysis were used to analyze the results. As expected, students with more expertise were more successful in identifying task relevant information. Other results suggest that the structure of problem descriptions can affect student performance.
A Topical Analysis of Mechanical Engineering Curricula
Authors: Jarosz Jeffrey P. , Busch‐Vishniac Ilene J.
Published: January 2013

This study has dissected the current curriculum in mechanical engineering into a list of required topics. The list indicates what material is currently considered to be the essential body of knowledge for graduating mechanical engineering students. It also provides a measure of the extent to which curricula differ from institution to institution. There is similarity in core material required among the institutions which we considered, but each one adds distinct requirements which give it an individual flavor or emphasis. The list reveals some of the differences among degree programs. While institutions have adjusted curricula to conform to the ABET engineering criteria, how they fulfill the “technical skill” outcomes is clearer than how they fulfill the “professional skill” outcomes. This survey shows that dissecting a degree program into required topics is useful for curriculum reform, as it provides a baseline to study the curriculum at a level more finely grained than a course.
Development of Engineering Education as a Rigorous Discipline: A Study of the Publication Patterns of Four Coalitions
Authors: Borrego Maura
Published: January 2013

A combination of publication analysis and faculty interviews was employed to study four NSF‐sponsored engineering education coalitions as a case study of the recent history of engineering education. Current calls within the engineering education community for increased rigor can be understood in terms of the ways similar disciplines have emerged. In science education, for example, time was needed to develop consensus on important research questions, accepted methods, and standards of rigor. The abstracts of 700 publications listed on active engineering education coalition Web sites were analyzed over time by type of intervention, population of focus, and product. A picture consistent with other reports of coalition contributions emerged. Early focus was on freshman courses and integrating across disciplines, with teamwork, design and other active learning activities. Students and course improvement remained the dominant focus, but efforts increased over time in assessment, faculty development, and research. Interviews with coalition leaders and leading authors supplement the publication analysis and describe how coalition work helped lay the foundation for more rigorous engineering education research.
Diversifying the U.S. Engineering Workforce: A New Model
Authors: Watson Karan , Froyd Jeffrey
Published: January 2013

Existing approaches to increasing diversity conceptually pose the problem as a leaky pipeline. Although the pipeline model has supported several types of interventions, the mental model oversimplifies complexities of the underlying processes, focuses interventions at points of unwanted leakage, and suggests that leaks need to be plugged instead of systems renewed. Analysis suggests that even if leak‐stopping interventions could be multiplied through significant increases in funding, they would remain insufficient to attain the goal of having student enrollments in engineering substantially reflect the demographics of the general population. Therefore, a new analogical model, which emphasizes flows of personal and interpersonal energy within the educational system, is offered to guide future interventions. Finally, suggestions for applying the model to increase diversity in engineering are proposed.
Student Perceptions of High Course Workloads are Not Associated with Poor Student Evaluations of Instructor Performance
Authors: Dee Kay C.
Published: January 2013

Many engineering faculty believe that when students perceive a course to have a high workload, students will rate the course and the performance of the course instructor poorly. This belief can be particularly worrying to engineering faculty since engineering courses are often perceived as uniquely demanding. The present investigation demonstrated that student ratings of workload and of overall instructor performance in engineering courses were not correlated (e.g., Spearman's rho = 0.068) in data sets from either of two institutions. In contrast, a number of evaluation items were strongly correlated (Spearman's rho = 0.7 to 0.899) with ratings of overall instructor performance across engineering, mathematics and science, and humanities courses. The results of the present study provide motivation for faculty seeking to improve their teaching and course evaluations to focus on teaching methods, organization/preparation, and interactions with students, rather than course workload.
Promoting Advanced Writing Skills in an Upper‐Level Engineering Class
Authors: Yalvac B. , Smith H.D. , Troy J.B. , Hirsch P.
Published: January 2013

This paper summarizes the design and evaluation of an instructional approach aimed at improving the writing skills of a group of undergraduate engineering students. We sought to determine whether student performance in difficult writing skills such as argumentation and synthesis could be improved by integrating a single writing exercise into an upper level engineering course. In designing the exercise, we relied heavily on recommendations for best practices from the learning science community, specifically those codified in the National Academy text How People Learn [1]. We found reliable improvement in student performance in many of the areas targeted, demonstrating that the approach taken was effective. Since we modified the exercise a few times before meeting our objectives for student learning, we could compare the effectiveness of different implementations of our approach. Our success and failures provide guidance for others seeking to improve the competence of engineering undergraduates in writing.
An Intervention to Address Gender Issues in a Course on Design, Engineering, and Technology for Science Educators
Authors: Baker Dale , Krause Stephen , Yaşar şenay , Roberts Chell , Robinson‐Kurpius Sharon
Published: January 2013

A course on design, engineering, and technology based on Bandura's theory of self‐efficacy was taught to nine science education graduate students who were also practicing teachers. The interpretive analysis method was used to code and analyze qualitative data from focus groups, weekly reflections on classes and readings, and pre‐, post‐, and delayed‐post course questions. The improvement in tinkering and technical self‐efficacies for five males was limited because of initially higher self‐efficacies while that for four females was moderate to high, especially when working in same‐sex teams in a non‐competitive environment. All students also increased their understanding of the societal relevance of engineering and their ability to transfer engineering concepts to pre‐college classrooms. Implementing the principles employed in this intervention in pre‐college science and university engineering classrooms could help recruit students into engineering as well as help retain both male and female undergraduate engineering students.
Achieving Parity of the Sexes at the Undergraduate Level: A Study of Success
Authors: Murphy Teri J. , Shehab Randa L. , Reed‐Rhoads Teri , Foor Cindy E. , Harris Betty J. , Trytten Deborah A. , Walden Susan E. , Besterfield‐Sacre Mary , Hallbeck M. Susan , Moor William C.
Published: January 2013

Most research about women in engineering focuses on reasons for their under‐representation. In contrast, we capitalized on an opportunity to study success: the School of Industrial Engineering at the University of Oklahoma had organically achieved parity of the sexes at the undergraduate level. To investigate this success, we adopted an ethnographic perspective, interviewing 185 students who represented four fields and four institutions as well as 12 faculty in Industrial Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. These data pointed to a combination of aspects of the discipline and the department culture as explanatory variables. Emerging from the data was a third explanatory variable: a high number of students, disproportionately many women, who relocated into Industrial Engineering from another major, underscoring the impact of broad recruiting activities. This paper emphasizes ideas that other departments can consider adapting to their own efforts to increase diversity.
Excellence in Engineering Education: Views of Undergraduate Engineering Students
Authors: Pomales‐García Cristina , Liu Yili
Published: January 2013

The purpose of this study was to understand the views and perceptions of engineering undergraduate students on engineering education. The method of content analysis was used to analyze the language used by engineering undergraduate students, and to extract the underlying common factors or perceived characteristics of “Excellence in Engineering Education.” These common factors were then used to identify and compare the similarities and differences in views between engineering students and perspectives from three types of stakeholders in the field. Forty‐seven undergraduate engineering students (17 females and 30 males) participated voluntarily in this study to answer four individual questions and ten group questions. The results showed that students strongly emphasized the importance of their own roles in the educational system and the value of instructional technology and real work examples in enhancing the quality of engineering education. The implications of the research results on excellence in engineering education are discussed.
A Psychometric Study of the Index of Learning Styles©
Authors: Litzinger Thomas A. , Lee Sang Ha , Wise John C. , Felder Richard M.
Published: January 2013

A study was conducted on the Felder‐Soloman Index of Learning Styles© (ILS) to assess reliability, factor structure, and construct validity as well to determine whether changing its dichotomous response scale to a five‐option response scale would improve reliability and validity. Data collected in this study had internal consistency reliability ranging from 0.55 to 0.77 across the four learning style scales of the ILS. Factor analysis revealed that multiple factors were present within three of the learning style scales, which correspond to known aspects of the scale definitions. The factor analysis and direct feedback from students on whether they felt their scores accurately represented their learning preferences provide evidence of construct validity for the ILS. Changing the response scale improved reliability, but it did not change the factor structure substantially nor did it affect the strength of the evidence for construct validity based on student feedback.
A Paradigm for Assessing Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge in Engineering Students
Authors: Taraban Roman , DeFinis Alli , Brown Ashlee G. , Anderson Edward E. , Sharma M. P.
Published: January 2013

Conceptual and procedural knowledge are two mutually‐supportive factors associated with the development of engineering skill. The present study extends previous work on undergraduate learning in engineering to provide further validation for an assessment paradigm capable of quantifying engineering students' conceptual and problem‐solving knowledge. Eight students who were enrolled in an introductory thermodynamics course and four who were enrolled in the course sequel provided verbal protocol data as they used instructional software. They were compared to existing data from a cohort of eleven science and engineering majors who had not taken thermodynamics. The results replicated earlier findings showing more cognitive activity on computer screens requiring overt user interaction compared to text‐based screens. The data also indicated that higher‐ versus lower‐performing students, based on course grades, engaged in more higher‐order cognitive processing. There was no evidence that students gained deeper cognitive processing as they advanced through the engineering curriculum.
Engineering Design Processes: A Comparison of Students and Expert Practitioners
Authors: Atman Cynthia J. , Adams Robin S. , Cardella Monica E. , Turns Jennifer , Mosborg Susan , Saleem Jason
Published: January 2013

In this paper we report on an in‐depth study of engineering design processes. Specifically, we extend our previous research on engineering student design processes to compare the design behavior of students and expert engineers. Nineteen experts from a variety of engineering disciplines and industries each designed a playground in a lab setting, and gave verbal reports of their thoughts during the design task. Measures of their design processes and solution quality were compared to pre‐existing data from 26 freshmen and 24 seniors. The experts spent significantly more time on the task overall and in each stage of engineering design, including significantly more time problem scoping. The experts also gathered significantly more information covering more categories. Results support the argument that problem scoping and information gathering are major differences between advanced engineers and students, and important competencies for engineering students to develop. Timeline representations of the expert designers' processes illustrate characteristic distinctions we found and may help students gain insights into their own design processes.
Getting the Numbers Right: International Engineering Education in the United States, China, and India
Authors: Gereffi Gary , Wadhwa Vivek , Rissing Ben , Ong Ryan
Published: January 2013

This article challenges the commonly cited statistics for engineering graduates in the United States, China, and India. Our research shows that the gap between the number of engineers and related technology specialists produced in the United States versus those in India and China is smaller than previously reported, and the United States remains a leading source of high‐quality global engineering talent. Furthermore, engineering graduates in China and India face the prospect of substantial unemployment, despite high corporate demand for their services; this raises questions about the quality of recent graduates. The United States, however, also confronts problems in its continued ability to attract and retain top engineering talent from abroad because of visa uncertainties and growing economic opportunities in their countries of origin. We argue that the key issue in engineering education should be the quality of graduates, not just the quantity, since quality factors have the biggest impact on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Factors Associated With Persistence in Science and Engineering Majors: An Exploratory Study Using Classification Trees and Random Forests
Authors: Mendez Guillermo , Buskirk Trent D. , Lohr Sharon , Haag Susans
Published: January 2013

Many students who start college intending to major in science or engineering do not graduate, or decide to switch to a non‐science major. We used the recently developed statistical method of random forests to obtain a new perspective of variables that are associated with persistence to a science or engineering degree. We describe classification trees and random forests and contrast the results from these methods with results from the more commonly used method of logistic regression. Among the variables available in Arizona State University data, high school and freshman year GPAs have highest importance for predicting persistence; other variables such as number of science and engineering courses taken freshman year are important for subgroups of the student population. The method used in this study could be employed in other settings to identify faculty practices, teaching methods, and other factors that are associated with high persistence to a degree.
Middle‐School Science Through Design‐Based Learning versus Scripted Inquiry: Better Overall Science Concept Learning and Equity Gap Reduction
Authors: Mehalik Matthew M. , Doppelt Yaron , Schuun Christian D.
Published: January 2013

This paper contrasts performances overall and by gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) for middle school students learning science through traditional scripted inquiry versus a design‐based, systems approach. Students designed and built electrical alarm systems to learn electricity concepts over a four‐week period using authentic engineering design methods. The contrast study took place in the eighth grade of an urban, public school district, with the systems approach implemented in 26 science classes (10 teachers and 587 students) and the scripted inquiry approach implemented in inquiry groups of 20 science classes (five teachers and 466 students). The results suggest that a systems design approach for teaching science concepts has superior performance in terms of knowledge gain achievements in core science concepts, engagement, and retention when compared to a scripted inquiry approach. The systems design approach was most helpful to low‐achieving African American students.
A New Paradigm for a New Field: Communicating Representations of Engineering Education Research
Authors: Borrego Maura , Streveler Ruth A. , Miller Ronald L. , Smith Karl A.
Published: January 2013

Based on a three‐year experience of developing, facilitating, and assessing NSF‐funded workshops on Rigorous Research in Engineering Education (RREE), the authors present four representations of engineering education scholarly work in the United States, specifically teaching and research. Many of the representations describe the relationships between engineering research, education research, teaching, and assessment. For each of the representations, assessment data are presented to evaluate which aspects resonated with workshop participants and which needed to be changed for wide acceptance by a U.S. engineering education audience. It was found that participants preferred continua to dichotomy and were more receptive to models that were introduced inductively through active learning exercises. Lessons learned, implications for the field, and future plans for further development of the paradigm are also included.
State of Qualitative Research in Engineering Education: Meta‐Analysis of JEE Articles, 2005–2006
Authors: Koro‐Ljungberg Mirka , Douglas Elliot P.
Published: January 2013

With recent calls for expanding the scope and rigor of engineering education research, use of qualitative methods to answer research questions that can not be answered through quantitative methods is taking on increasing significance. Well‐designed qualitative studies often build on epistemological consistency across theoretical perspectives, research questions, and research methods. We examine recent articles published in the Journal of Engineering Education to determine the overall prevalence of qualitative articles and the extent to which they appear epistemologically and methodologically consistent with the goals of qualitative inquiry. We find that there are very few qualitative articles published, and even fewer which show epistemological consistency across different aspects of the research design. These issues may limit the rich, descriptive information that could be gained from qualitative inquiry, limiting the contributions qualitative studies could make to engineering education. We call on researchers to expand their use of qualitative methods and to design their studies with careful attention to epistemological consistency across the design.
Persistence, Engagement, and Migration in Engineering Programs
Authors: Ohland Matthew W. , Sheppard Sheri D. , Lichtenstein Gary , Eris Ozgur , Chachra Debbie , Layton Richard A.
Published: January 2013

Records from the Multiple‐Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development indicate that engineering students are typical of students in other majors with respect to: persistence in major; persistence by gender and ethnicity; racial/ethnic distribution; and grade distribution. Data from the National Survey of Student Engagement show that this similarity extends to engagement outcomes including course challenge, faculty interaction, satisfaction with institution, and overall satisfaction. Engineering differs from other majors most notably by a dearth of female students and a low rate of migration into the major. Noting the similarity of students of engineering and other majors with respect to persistence and engagement, we propose that engagement is a precursor to persistence. We explore this hypothesis using data from the Academic Pathways Study of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education. Further exploration reveals that although persistence and engagement do not vary as much as expected by discipline, there is significant institutional variation, and we assert a need to address persistence and engagement at the institutional level and throughout higher education. Finally, our findings highlight the potential of making the study of engineering more attractive to qualified students. Our findings suggest that a two‐pronged approach holds the greatest potential for increasing the number of students graduating with engineering degrees: identify programming that retains the students who come to college committed to an engineering major, and develop programming and policies that allow other students to migrate in. There is already considerable discourse on persistence, so our findings suggest that more research focus is needed on the pathways into engineering, including pathways from other majors.
Characterizing Design Learning: A Mixed‐Methods Study of Engineering Designers' Use of Language
Authors: Atman Cynthia J. , Kilgore Deborah , McKenna Ann
Published: January 2013

Using multiple quantitative and qualitative methods to examine engineering design learning, we found that students taking a course in engineering design and/or studying engineering for four years acquired engineering design language that is common to a larger community of practice as well as common to their own programs and institutions of higher learning. The study also suggests that engineering design language shapes the knowledge that students have about engineering design. Finally, students did not always put their design knowledge into practice, suggesting the need for educational improvements and research to bridge this gap.
Becoming an Engineer: Toward a Three Dimensional View of Engineering Learning
Authors: Stevens Reed , O'Connor Kevin , Garrison Lari , Jocuns Andrew , Amos Daniel M.
Published: January 2013

In this paper we develop an analytical framework we refer to as “Becoming an Engineer” that focuses upon changes occurring over time as students traverse their undergraduate educations in engineering. This analytical framework involves three related dimensions that we track over time: disciplinary knowledge, identification, and navigation. Our analysis illustrates how these three dimensions enable us to understand how students become, or do not become, engineers by examining how these three interrelated dimensions unfold over time. This study is based on longitudinal ethnographic data from which we have developed “person‐centered ethnographies” focused on individual students' pathways through engineering. We present comparative analysis, spanning four schools and four years. We also present person‐centered ethnographic case studies that illustrate how our conceptual dimensions interrelate. Our discussion draws some educational implications from our analysis and proposes further lines of research.
Engineering Identity
Authors: Rover Diane T.
Published: January 2013

Engineering for a Changing World: A Roadmap to the Future of Engineering Practice, Research, and Education: By James J. Duderstadt

On the Outskirts of Engineering: Learning Identity, Gender, and Power via Engineering Practice: By Karen L. Tonso
Women Engineering Students and Self‐Efficacy: A Multi‐Year, Multi‐Institution Study of Women Engineering Student Self‐Efficacy
Authors: Marra Rose M. , Rodgers Kelly A. , Shen Demei , Bogue Barbara
Published: January 2013

As our nation's need for engineering professionals grows, educators and industry leaders are increasingly becoming concerned with how to attract women to this traditionally male career path. Self‐efficacy has been shown to be related to positive outcomes in studying and pursuing careers in non‐traditional fields. This paper describes the results of two years of engineering self‐efficacy data collected from women engineering students at five institutions across the U.S. This study adds to the growing body of self‐efficacy literature via its multi‐year, multi‐institution design and helps to clarify the impact of the engineering curriculum on self‐efficacy. Results indicate that while women students show positive progress on some self‐efficacy and related subscales, they show a significant decrease on feelings of inclusion from the first to second measurement period and further suggest a relationship between ethnicity and feelings of inclusion. Additionally, correlations show that self‐efficacy is related to women students' plans to persist in this predominantly male discipline.
Engineering Education Research: Discipline, Community, or Field?
Authors: Jesiek Brent K. , Newswander Lynita K. , Borrego Maura
Published: January 2013

Engineering education research has experienced a notable scale‐up in recent years through the development of departments and degree programs, high‐profile publication outlets, research agendas, and meetings. We begin by reviewing these developments, contextualizing them historically, and clarifying some relevant terminology. We then use observational data collected at the 2007 inaugural International Conference on Research in Engineering Education (ICREE) to examine how engineering education is variously conceptualized as a discipline, community of practice, and/or field. We also examine how ICREE participants engaged with questions about the infrastructure and major goals of engineering education research. Our data reveals both an overall lack of clarity and continued sense of ambiguity about the identity and status of engineering education research. We conclude by recommending that participants and stakeholders work to clarify the goals and objectives of engineering education research, especially to inform the continued development of the field's identity and supporting infrastructures.
Comparing Competitive and Cooperative Strategies for Learning Project Management
Authors: Nembhard David , Yip Kelly , Shtub Avraham
Published: January 2013

Many organizations use project management to organize and administer resources in time and in place in an effort to optimize costs and meet certain constraints. These constitute cognitive skills acquired through training and experience that have successfully been shown to be trainable through simulation. However, past research on simulation‐based project management training focused on individual learning. In this paper, we are interested in investigating whether a competitive or cooperative strategy is more desirable in using simulators for project management training. Several theories suggest that cooperative learning is more beneficial to learning than competitive learning. To investigate this problem, an experiment was set up based on the simulation‐based Project Management Trainer (PMT) software. The results suggest that using both PMT cooperative and competitive strategies yield learning in project management. However, cooperative strategies yield better results in the overall outcome.
Universalized Narratives: Patterns in How Faculty Members Define “Engineering”
Authors: Pawley Alice L.
Published: January 2013

Background

U.S. engineering educators are discussing how we define engineering to ourselves and to others, such as in the recently released U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) report,Changing the Conversation. In these conversations, leaders have proposed the skills, knowledge, processes, values, and attitudes that should define engineering. However, little attention has been paid to the daily work of engineering faculty, through their engineering research and teaching students to be new engineers, that puts these discipline‐defining ideas into practice in academia.

Purpose(Hypothesis)

The different types of narratives engineering faculty explicitly or implicitly use to describe engineering are categorized. Categorizing these common narratives can help inform the nationwide conversation about whether these are the best narratives to tell in order to attract a diverse population of future engineers.

Design/Method

Interviews with ten engineering faculty at a research‐extensive university were conducted. Interview transcripts were coded thematically through coarse then fine coding passes. The coarse codes were drawn from boundary theory; the fine codes emerged from the data.

Results

Faculty members' descriptions moved within and among the narratives of engineering as applied science and math, as problem‐solving, and as making things. The narratives are termed “universalized” because of their broad‐sweeping discursive application within and across participants' interviews.

Conclusions

These narratives drawn from academic engineers' practice put engineering at odds with recommendations from the NAE report. However, naming the narratives helps make them visible so we may then develop and practice telling contrasting narratives to future and current engineering students.
The Influence of Computer‐based Model's Race and Gender on Female Students' Attitudes and Beliefs Towards Engineering
Authors: Rosenberg‐Kima Rinat B. , Plant E. Ashby , Doerr Celeste E. , Baylor Amy L.
Published: January 2013

Background

This study explored the use of interface agents, anthropomorphic, 3D‐animated computer characters that provide teaching or mentoring within a computer‐based learning environment, to encourage young Black and White women to pursue careers in engineering.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

We hypothesized that computer‐based models that matched young women in terms of their race and gender would be the most effective in positively influencing their interest, self‐efficacy, and stereotypes about engineering.

Design/Method

Eighty African American undergraduate female students in Experiment 1, and 39 White undergraduate female students in Experiment 2 interacted with a computer‐based agent that provided a narrative designed to encourage them to pursue engineering careers. The study employed a 2 × 2 between subjects factorial design (agent gender: male vs. female and agent race: Black vs. White).

Results

Across both studies we found that race and gender influenced the effectiveness of the agent for several key outcome measures. Computer‐based agents who matched the participants with respect to race and gender tended to be the most effective in improving the women's responses to engineering‐related fields. Nevertheless, the White male agent was actually significantly more influential than the White female agent for female Black participants.

Conclusions

Personalizing interface agent characteristics to match the target population can increase the effectiveness of a persuasive message to encourage young women to pursue engineering. Such an approach may contribute to the growth and inclusiveness of fields such as engineering.
Gender Differences in Elements of the Undergraduate Experience that Influence Satisfaction with the Engineering Major and the Intent to Pursue Engineering as a Career
Authors: Amelink Catherine T. , Creamer Elizabeth G.
Published: January 2013

Background

Groups within and outside of educational institutions are interested in factors that influence satisfaction among students enrolled in the engineering major as well as elements within the college environment that shape students' intentions to work in engineering in the future and whether these elements differ by gender.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

This study identified gender differences on indicators of the undergraduate experience including faculty‐related and student‐related variables as well as measures of satisfaction with the institutional environment that are related to satisfaction with the engineering major and intent to pursue a career in engineering ten years from now.

Design/Method

The mixed methods approach used for this investigation involved nine institutions with engineering undergraduate degree programs. An online questionnaire was administered to undergraduate students enrolled in engineering. Qualitative data was collected through focus group interviews with students at each of the nine participating institutions.

Results

Findings reveal that satisfaction with the engineering major does not translate directly to pursuing a career in engineering, particularly among women. In terms of elements of the undergraduate experience, some types of interactions with faculty and peers have both short‐ and long‐term impacts on interest in engineering as a major and as a career.

Conclusions

Creating learning environments that emphasize care and respect for students as well as overseeing student interaction during group work can make a difference in students' satisfaction in the engineering major and in interest in engineering as a career, particularly for women.
Advancing Global Capacity for Engineering Education Research (AGCEER): Relating Research to Practice, Policy, and Industry
Authors: Jesiek Brent K. , Borrego Maura , Beddoes Kacey
Published: January 2013

Background

We report on the results of a joint initiative between the European Journal of Engineering Education and Journal of Engineering Education titled Advancing Global Capacity for Engineering Education Research (AGCEER). More specifically, we present findings from a series of moderated interactive sessions held at international engineering education conferences between July 2007 and December 2008, where participants were asked to discuss the current state and future trajectory of engineering education research.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

How did AGCEER session attendees describe: (1) the relationship between engineering education research and educational practice, policy considerations, and industry, and (2) important stakeholders, mechanisms/strategies, and challenges for relating research to practice, policy, and industry?

Design/Method

Thematic analysis was used to categorize and understand the textual data of report back transcripts and note pages from ten AGCEER sessions involving 300 participants on six continents. An open coding procedure was used to capture issues raised in each of the sessions on the relation of research to practice, policy, and industry.

Results

We observed frequent discussion and widespread consensus among AGCEER participants about the need to relate engineering education research to the practice of engineering teaching. Discussions about relating research to policy and industry remain formative, but appear to be gaining traction.

Conclusions

We propose a cyclic model to better conceptualize how engineering education research can be strategically related to practice, profession, and industry across diverse local and global contexts.
Investigating the Effect of 3D Simulation Based Learning on the Motivation and Performance of Engineering Students
Authors: Koh Caroline , Tan Hock Soon , Tan Kim Cheng , Fang Linda , Fong Fook Meng , Kan Dominic , Lye Sau Lin , Wee May Lin
Published: January 2013

Background

Simulation‐based Learning (SBL) was used in Machining Technology, a sixty‐hour module for second year engineering students, at the School of Engineering at Temasek Polytechnic. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of SBL on learners' motivation and performance. In assessing students' motivation, we adopted a framework based on the Self‐determination Theory (SDT), chosen on account of its comprehensive treatment of the relationship between students' perceived needs satisfaction and their motivation.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

It is hypothesized that SBL, which provides learners with interactive learning experiences, will enhance students' motivation and performance. We explored the effect of SBL on students' perceived psychological needs satisfaction, motivation, and learning, and how SBL affected students' understanding and application of content knowledge.

Design/Method

The intervention procedure involved the incorporation of SBL in Machining Technology, a 60 hour module in the mechanical engineering program. Survey findings and post‐intervention assessment outcomes were used to assess the students' perceptions of their basic psychological needs satisfaction, motivation, and performance.

Results

Our findings suggest that the students perceived their psychological needs to be satisfied and had high levels of self‐determined motivation. Students who undertook SBL had higher mean performance test scores, although SBL may have differential effects on learners depending on factors such as gender, educational backgrounds, and IT knowledge.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the students perceived their basic psychological needs to be met and that SBL can potentially enhance self‐determined motivation as well as improve learning in general.
Student and Faculty Perceptions of Engagement in Engineering
Authors: Heller Rachelle S. , Beil Cheryl , Dam Kim , Haerum Belinda
Published: January 2013

Background

This study is designed to investigate how undergraduate engineering students and their faculty define engagement. While many researchers provide descriptions and suggestions that engagement is crucial to learning, there is no widespread, standard definition for engagement to guide engineering educators.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

The purpose of this study is to begin to understand student engagement by examining how students and faculty viewed the term engagement as it relates to their engineering courses. The two key questions asked were (1) How do faculty and undergraduate students define engagement? and (2) How are their definitions similar or different?

Design/Method

This exploratory study included a survey of all engineering faculty teaching first‐ and second‐year students and first‐ and second‐year engineering undergraduates enrolled in any engineering course within the standard curriculum at a small engineering school.

Results

Students view engagement in terms of faculty enthusiasm for the subject and in teaching and the availability of faculty for out‐of‐class interactions. Faculty members believe that engagement rests with the students.

Conclusions

This study suggests that there is not a single definition of engagement for engineering students. Rather, engagement is both a process and an outcome. Faculty stimulate engagement by providing students with active learning experiences, conveying excitement and enthusiasm for their subject, and providing opportunities for student‐faculty interactions. Students show their engagement by participating in class discussions, doing research projects, and interacting with their professors and peers.
Why Do Students Choose Engineering? A Qualitative, Longitudinal Investigation of Students' Motivational Values
Authors: Matusovich Holly M. , Streveler Ruth A. , Miller Ronald L.
Published: January 2013

Background

Recently published reports call for an increase in the number of engineering graduates and suggest appropriate characteristics that these graduates should embody. Accomplishing such change first requires understanding why students choose to pursue engineering degrees.

Purpose (Hypothesis)

Framed in motivation theory, our purpose was to better understand how students choose engineering by answering the question: How do engineering students' engineering‐related value beliefs contribute to their choices to engage and persist in earning engineering degrees?

Design/Method

This research uses Eccles' expectancy‐value theory in a qualitative, longitudinal examination of undergraduate students' choices to enroll and persist in engineering majors. In particular, the focus of this work is Eccles' subjective task value (STV) construct, which incorporates the personal importance an individual assigns to engaging in an activity. Using a multiple case study method approach, participants included eleven students (five men and six women) at a U.S. technical school.

Results

Results demonstrate that different patterns exist in the types of value or personal importance that participants assign to earning an engineering degree. Moreover, a primary differentiating feature of these patterns is whether or not participants choose engineering because it is consistent with their personal identity or sense of self.

Conclusions

We conclude that values are very important in students' choices to become engineers. To increase persistence rates we must focus on values, especially by helping students connect their personal identities to engineering identities.