bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Career and Mentor Satisfaction among Canadian Engineers: Are there Differences based on Gender and Company‐Specific Undergraduate Work Experiences?
Authors: Ingram Sandra , Bruning Sue , Mikawoz Irene 
Published: January 2013

AbstractIn 2005, an in‐depth study was undertaken to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the career attitudes of Canadian engineers in the province of Manitoba. This paper examines the quantitative data on the relationships between prior undergraduate work experiences with their current employers and male and female respondents' career and mentor satisfaction. The results suggest that undergraduate work experience programs may play a role in enhancing engineers' perceptions of their recognized authority/expertise within their field. Results also show that prior work experience with current employers is related to satisfaction with mentors. Furthermore, a significant interaction effect was found for both prior work experience and gender as they relate to mentor satisfaction. Female engineers with prior work experience were the most satisfied with their mentors, while those without prior work experience were the least satisfied. Findings point to the value of company‐specific undergraduate work experience as a socialization tool and the role it plays in nurturing long‐term career development, particularly for young women engineers.
The Relationships between Students' Conceptions of Learning Engineering and their Preferences for Classroom and Laboratory Learning Environments
Authors: Lin Chia‐Ching , Tsai Chin‐Chung 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis study developed a survey entitled Conceptions of Learning Engineering (CLE), to elicit undergraduate engineering students' conceptions of learning engineering. The reliability and validity of the CLE survey were confirmed through a factor analysis of 321 responses of undergraduate students majoring in electrical engineering. A series of ANOVA analyses revealed that students who preferred a classroom setting tended to conceptualize learning engineering as “testing” and “calculating and practicing,” whereas students who preferred a laboratory setting expressed conceptions of learning engineering as “increasing one's knowledge,” “applying,” “understanding,” and “seeing in a new way.” A further analysis of student essays suggested that learning environments which are student‐centered, peer‐interactive, and teacher‐facilitated help engineering students develop more fruitful conceptions of learning engineering.
Widening the Net: National Estimates of Gender Disparities in Engineering
Authors: Cohen Clemencia Cosentino de , Deterding Nicole 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis paper explores the causes behind the severe under‐representation of women in engineering. Based on national data on undergraduate engineering programs, this study presents cross‐sectional estimates of male and female student retention. Contrary to widespread beliefs, the study found that overall and in most disciplines there is no differential attrition by gender. Instead, results suggest that gender disparities in engineering are largely driven by inadequate enrollment (not inadequate retention) of women. The paper concludes that outreach—within institutions of higher education, across institutions (into two‐year colleges, middle and high schools), and into K‐12 curricular reform—are needed to address what is, at its very core, a recruitment problem.
An Engineering Major Does Not (Necessarily) an Engineer Make: Career Decision Making Among Undergraduate Engineering Majors
Authors: Lichtenstein Gary , Loshbaugh Heidi G. , Claar Brittany , Chen Helen L. , Jackson Kristyn , Sheppard Sheri D. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis study uses a mixed‐methods design to investigate students' career decision making at two U.S. undergraduate institutions. The research question was, “To what extent do students who complete undergraduate programs in engineering intend to pursue engineering careers?” We surveyed senior engineering majors about their post‐graduate intentions, and later interviewed a subset of the seniors about their career intentions. Only 42 percent of students surveyed reported that they definitely intended to pursue a career in engineering, 44 percent were unsure, and 14 percent were definitely not pursuing engineering. We observed significant institutional differences. Interview data reveal the quixotic nature of many students' decisions about their careers; strikingly, students were vacillating between multiple post‐graduate options late into the senior year, even into summer. Implications are discussed for further research and ways engineering departments can influence students' career decisions.
Innovations in Composition Programs that Educate Engineers: Drivers, Opportunities, and Challenges
Authors: Leydens Jon A. , Schneider Jen 
Published: January 2013

AbstractRecent developments in engineering education have shaped the nature of composition programs at institutions or programs that emphasize engineering and science. Among these developments are revised accreditation guidelines and a curricular debate with a long history. Such developments highlight collaborative opportunities between technical and humanities/social sciences faculty. This multi‐case study investigates how composition programs have responded to such drivers, opportunities, and challenges. The study draws from historical, observation, document, and interview data, and particularly interviews with composition program administrators at six institutions with significant technical emphases. Findings indicate shifts in historical emphasis on culture and utility, and three contemporary responses. Reductions, transformations, and innovations are occurring in first‐year communication courses. Also, multimodal communications, including written, oral, and visual components, are being integrated across multiple instructional contexts. Finally, strong cross‐curricular communication programs are emerging in which composition faculty partner with technical faculty. Implications of these findings are discussed.
A Research Synthesis of the Effectiveness, Replicability, and Generality of the VaNTH Challenge‐based Instructional Modules in Bioengineering
Authors: Cordray David S. , Harris Thomas R. , Klein Stacy 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundBetween 2000 and 2006 the Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Texas and Harvard/MIT Engineering Research Center (VaNTH/ERC) developed, tested, and implemented a set of educational innovations based largely on the ideas presented in the bookHow People Learn(HPL) and an instructional design known as the the STAR Legacy Cycle. The motivation for this study was to synthesize the results of this work. Published and unpublished experimental and quasi‐experimental assessments were included in this synthesis.Purpose(Hypothesis)The fundamental hypotheses tested were whether a set of modules involving challenge‐based instruction and other course innovations, often involving advanced computer‐based technologies, improved student performance in a variety of educational settings and student populations, and whether improvements could be achieved by instructors other than the developers of the innovations.Design/MethodMeta‐analysis of effects from thirty‐three separate modules in five courses in bioengineering domains was undertaken, along with three case studies.ResultsResults from the experimental (randomized) and stronger‐quasi experimental studies revealed a weighted effect size of 0.655 (p< 0.001). Studies using randomized designs produced smaller effects, and studies using measures of transfer and adaptive expertise to index outcomes produced larger effects. Analyses also revealed that the results can be replicated by instructors other than the developers of the modules, in a variety of student populations and educational settings, and at other institutions.ConclusionsOverall, the challenge‐based modules and other innovations have moderate overall effects on improved student performance. They can be implemented successively by other instructors in a variety of educational settings and student populations.
Measuring the Impact of an Individual Course on Students' Success
Authors: Mesa Vilma , Jaquette Ozan , Finelli Cynthia J. 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundAt the University of Michigan, qualified first‐year students who place out of the first‐semester calculus course may enroll in either the regular second‐semester calculus course or Applied Honors Calculus II. Students who enroll in Applied Honors Calculus II show higher academic performance than students enrolling in the Regular Calculus II.Purpose (Hypothesis)The study addressed the question: does enrollment in Applied Honors Calculus II have a positive causal impact on subsequent academic performance for engineering students at the University of Michigan?Design/MethodWe acquired seven years of institutional data for engineering students who entered the University of Michigan from 1996 through 2003 and who qualified to enroll in Applied Honors Calculus II. Using regression analyses, we tested a causal model of impact of Applied Honors Calculus II on four measures of subsequent academic performance: grade in Physics II and average grade in all subsequent physics, mathematics, and engineering courses.ResultsAfter controlling for students' personal characteristics and prior academic achievement, the impact of Applied Honors Calculus II on students' academic performance was not statistically significant. In particular Advanced Placement scores accounted for the higher performance observed in Applied Honors Calculus II students.ConclusionsWe recommend including Advanced Placement scores in models that predict academic performance. Future research should also include measures of socioeconomic status (SES) and explore interactions between SES and academic background. Finally, in evaluations of specific curricula, the treatment effect—measured as treatment group mean minus control group mean, after controlling for covariates—is unlikely to be large if the control group receives high quality instruction.
Development of a Classification System for Engineering Student Characteristics Affecting College Enrollment and Retention
Authors: Li Qing , Swaminathan Hariharan , Tang Jiong 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundIn engineering education, a considerable amount of research effort has been dedicated to study the impacts of student characteristics on their college enrollment, major selection, and college retention. However, there is no standardized categorical classification system of engineering student characteristics in the current literature. Different researchers tend to focus on specific characteristics within the scope of their research interests. This study provides a comprehensive review and analysis of the existing research on the measurement of the characteristics of engineering students.PurposeThe study addressed the three questions: (1) what engineering student characteristics have been measured; (2) how do engineering student characteristics impact their educational outcomes; and (3) what measurement and analysis methods have been applied in current studies? A standardized classification system for engineering student characteristics involving external, cognitive, affective, and demographic categories is also proposed.Scope/MethodThe study focused on engineering education. Representative research regarding common characteristics of students from majors of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics were also included. The review covers major academic journals, research books, conference proceedings, and government reports in the areas of science and engineering education for the past two decades.ConclusionsThe review analysis indicated that students with certain characteristics are more likely to choose engineering as a profession and that those characteristics are either correlated or causally related with one another. However, many research conclusions based on basic statistical analyses fail to model the interaction effects. More advanced measurement techniques are needed that can model the characteristics interactively and concurrently in a complete framework.
Relationship Between TOEFL Score and Academic Success for International Engineering Students
Authors: Wait Isaac W. , Gressel Justin W. 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundTests that classify English ability, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), are often the only application metric common to international applicants from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. As such, these test results are sometimes used beyond their intended scope to predict student academic success.Purpose (Hypothesis)This study evaluated relationships between TOEFL scores and several measures of academic success for students at an American university abroad. Characterizing these relationships helps assess the scope of the TOEFL score's use in admissions decision making.Design/MethodLinear and logistic regression were used to evaluate TOEFL score relative to overall grade point average (GPA), GPA for courses in engineering and in humanities, rate of passing a Comprehensive Assessment Examination (CAE), and graduation rate. High school GPA, gender, and nationality were also included as independent variables.ResultsA positive, statistically significant relationship was identified between TOEFL score and GPA, although weaker for engineering students than students in other fields, and for engineering courses than non‐engineering courses. TOEFL score was also statistically significant in logistic regressions of CAE pass rate and graduation rate, indicating increasing probability of success with increasing TOEFL score. However, model goodness‐of‐fit measures were relatively low, indicating many students whose performance defies general trends.ConclusionsIn spite of correlations between TOEFL score and academic performance, TOEFL scores should not be used in admissions beyond assessing individual students' English proficiency. Additional research is warranted to investigate trends that were identified related to gender effects and engineering‐specific student learning styles.
Mapping the Cultural Landscape in Engineering Education
Authors: Godfrey Elizabeth , Parker Lesley 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundCalls for culture change as key to systemic reform in engineering education implicitly assume the existence of common elements of a distinctive culture. The landscape for engineering education studies that invoke the concept of culture is complex and multi‐faceted, yet still ill‐defined and incomplete.Purpose (Hypothesis)The aim of this study is to develop a conceptual framework of cultural dimensions that has the potential to guide the understanding of culture in the context of engineering education to demonstrate “where we are” and “how to get where we want to go.”Design/MethodEthnographic methods within an overarching interpretivist research paradigm were used to investigate the culture of engineering education as manifested in one institution. Adapting Schein's cultural framework, the data were collected and analyzed to distil from observable behaviors and practices the essence of the culture in the form of tacitly known cultural norms, shared assumptions, and understandings that underpinned the lived experience of staff and students.ResultsThe findings are discussed within six cultural dimensions which emerged from the data as: An Engineering Way of Thinking, An Engineering Way of Doing, Being an Engineer, Acceptance of Difference, Relationships, and Relationship to the Environment.ConclusionsThe detailed findings from this study, combined with evidence from other studies, support the view that the proposed six dimensions have the potential to be transferred to other institutions as a practical tool for evaluating and positioning the culture of engineering education.
The Effect of Social Presence on Affective and Cognitive Learning in an International Engineering Course Taught via Distance Learning
Authors: Mackey Katherine R.M. , Freyberg David L. 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundDistance learning course formats can alter modes of information exchange and interpersonal interaction relative to traditional course formats.Purpose (Hypothesis)To determine the effect of a distance course format on the knowledge acquisition (cognitive learning) and satisfaction (affective learning) of students, we investigated student learning responses and social presence during a graduate‐level engineering course taught via traditional (i.e., professor present in the classroom) and synchronous distance‐learning formats.Design/MethodDirect quantification of participation, academic performance assessment based on homework and exam scores, and survey‐based assessments of student perceptions of the course were collected. Based on these data, cognitive and affective learning responses to different technological and interaction‐based aspects of the course were determined for each course format.ResultsWe show that while affective learning decreased for students in the distance format course relative to the traditional format, cognitive learning was comparable. Our results suggest that loss of satellite connection and audio losses had a stronger negative effect on student perceptions than video disturbances, and that participation was the most important factor influencing affective learning.ConclusionsWhile our findings do not suggest that cognitive learning is strongly affected by social presence, implementing strategies to enhance social presence may improve the overall learning experience and make distance learning more enjoyable for students.
Lessons Learned: Implementing the Case Teaching Method in a Mechanical Engineering Course
Authors: Yadav Aman , Shaver Gregory M. , Meckl Peter 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundCase studies have been found to increase students' critical thinking and problem‐solving skills, higher‐order thinking skills, conceptual change, and their motivation to learn. Despite the popularity of the case study approach within engineering, the empirical research on the effectiveness of case studies is limited and the research that does exist has primarily focused on student perceptions of their learning rather than actual learning outcomes.Purpose (Hypothesis)This paper describes an investigation of the impact of case‐based instruction on undergraduate mechanical engineering students' conceptual understanding and their attitudes towards the use of case studies.Design/MethodSeventy‐three students from two sections of the same mechanical engineering course participated in this study. The two sections were both taught using traditional lecture and case teaching methods. Participants completed pre‐tests, post‐tests, and a survey to assess their conceptual understanding and engagement.ResultsResults suggested that the majority of participants felt the use of case studies was engaging and added a lot of realism to the class. There were no significant differences between traditional lecture and case teaching method on students' conceptual understanding. However, the use of case studies did no harm to students' understanding while making the content more relevant to students.ConclusionsCase‐based instruction can be beneficial for students in terms of actively engaging them and allowing them to see the application and/or relevance of engineering to the real world.
Measuring Engineering Design Self‐Efficacy
Authors: Carberry Adam R. , Lee Hee‐Sun , Ohland Matthew W. 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundSelf‐concept can influence how an individual learns, but is often overlooked when assessing student learning in engineering.Purpose (Hypothesis)To validate an instrument designed to measure individuals' self‐concepts toward engineering design tasks, three research questions were investigated: (a) how well the items in the instrument represent the engineering design process in eliciting the task‐specific self‐concepts of self‐efficacy, motivation, outcome expectancy, and anxiety, (b) how well the instrument predicts differences in the self‐efficacy held by individuals with a range of engineering experiences, and (c) how well the responses to the instrument align with the relationships conceptualized in self‐efficacy theory.Design/MethodA 36‐item online instrument was developed and administered to 202 respondents. Three types of validity evidence were obtained for (a) representativeness of multi‐step engineering design processes in eliciting self‐efficacy, (b) the instrument's ability to differentiate groups of individuals with different levels of engineering experience, and (c) relationships between self‐efficacy, motivation, outcome expectancy, and anxiety as predicted by self‐efficacy theory.ResultsResults indicate that the instrument can reliably identify individuals' engineering design self‐efficacy (α = 0.967), motivation (α = 0.955), outcome expectancy (α = 0.967), and anxiety (α = 0.940). One‐way ANOVA identified statistical differences in self‐efficacy between high, intermediate, and low experience groups at the ρ < 0.05 level. Self‐efficacy was also shown to be correlated to motivation (0.779), outcome expectancy (0.919), and anxiety (—0.593) at the ρ < 0.01 level.ConclusionsThe study showed that the instrument was capable of identifying individuals' self‐concepts specific to the engineering design tasks.
Pre‐College Engineering Studies: An Investigation of the Relationship Between Pre‐college Engineering Studies and Student Achievement in Science and Mathematics
Authors: Tran Natalie A. , Nathan Mitchell J. 
Published: January 2013

BackgroundThe U.S. has experienced a shift from a manufacturing‐based economy to one that overwhelmingly provides services and information. This shift demands that technological skills be more fully integrated with one's academic knowledge of science and mathematics so that the next generation of engineers can reason adaptively, think critically, and be prepared to learn how to learn.Purpose (Hypothesis)Project Lead the Way (PLTW) provides a pre‐college curriculum that focuses on the integration of engineering with science and mathematics. We documented the impact that enrollment in PLTW had on student science and math achievement. We consider the enriched integration hypothesis, which states that students taking PLTW courses will show achievement benefits, after controlling for prior achievement and other student and teacher characteristics. We contrast this with alternative hypotheses that propose little or no impact of the engineering coursework on students' math and science achievement (the insufficient integration hypothesis), or that PLTW enrollment might be negatively associated with student achievement (the adverse integration hypothesis).Design/MethodUsing multilevel statistical modeling with students (N = 140) nested within teachers, we report findings from a quantitative analysis of the relationship between PLTW enrollment and student achievement on state standardized tests of math and science.ResultsWhile students gained in math and science achievement overall from eighth to tenth grade, students enrolled in PLTW foundation courses showed significantly smaller math assessment gains than those in a matched group that did not enroll, and no measurable advantages on science assessments, when controlling for prior achievement and teacher experience. The findings do not support the enriched integration hypothesis.ConclusionsEngineering education programs like PLTW face both challenges and opportunities to effectively integrate academic content as they strive to prepare students for college engineering programs and careers.