Education Commons^™

Building A Community Of Mentors In Engineering Education Research Through Peer Review Training, Karin Jensen, Lisa Benson, Kelsey Watts, Gary Lichtenstein, Evan Ko, Rebecca Bates

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Peer review of scholarship is critical to the advancement of knowledge in a scholarly discipline. Despite this, scholars receive little or no training in effective and constructive peer review. The process of peer review has been routinely criticized in higher education for lack of quality reviews and reviewers, and reviews that are personal and not constructive. As a discipline, engineering education research (EER) benefits from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and perspectives of scholars, and as such relies on peer review of scholarship to generate, interpret, and translate knowledge. Supported by funding through the National Science Foundation, this project is developing, implementing, …

Laying The Foundation For Education 4.0: Access, Value And Accountability, Jennifer Karlin, L. Eric James, Lauren Singelmann, Dan Ewert

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

The complexity of the global problems engineers are working to solve has long been discussed in both engineering and engineering education circles. The Grand Challenges for Engineering are grand because of the complexity of the challenges. While the challenges stand over a decade later, the speed at which the terms in which they are described, the shift from Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0, has been slow. As the world becomes more deeply connected, as the internet of things becomes more commonplace in all parts of our lives, as technologies like machine learning and cyber physical systems become accessible to even …

Complexity In The Classroom Workshop: Teaching And Learning The Cynefin Framework By Applying It To The Classroom, Jennifer Karlin, L. Eric James, Lauren Singlelmann

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Complex adaptive systems are both an important fundamental principle in systems engineering education and a reality of all engineering education. The Cynefin framework, as created by Snowden and Boone (2007), is a decision-making tool that helps the engineer recognize the type of system within which they are operating and then respond in a manner that is appropriate for the cause-and-effect relationships associated with that system type. The types of system, or the domains, fall into five categories and their liminal spaces: obvious, where the cause-and-effect relationships are clear to everyone involved; complicated, where the cause-and-effect relationships are clear to those …

A Multi-Decade Response To The Call For Change, Bart Johnson, Ron Ulseth, Mike Raich

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Engineering and society have always been intertwined, especially with the accepted realization of technology's significant and rapidly increasing influence on the evolution of society. As a profession, engineering has a vital role in sustainably meeting needs and exploring opportunities that are ever changing and evolving. As societal and industry needs have evolved, engineering education itself has raised the call several times for evolving the way engineers are educated; however, the recent history of engineering education is, overall, one of missed opportunities. This was brought to a headline recently as ASEE leadership authored an article entitled “Stuck in 1955, Engineering Education …

Working Full Time And Earning An Engineering Degree: Wellbeing In A Co-Op-Based Engineering Program, Catherine Mcgough Spence, Luke Nyberg, Justine Chasmar, Jodi Nelson, Marissa Tsugawa

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

The purpose of this research paper is to describe how stress manifests in undergraduate engineering students who are working in paid engineering positions while completing their upper-division coursework, through the analysis of reflective prompts on wellbeing, and engineering belongingness. Previous research has identified the culture of “suffering and shared hardship” where heavy workloads and stressful situations are expected in engineering programs and engineering as a discipline. Stress, specifically feelings of being overwhelmed with workload, has far reaching implications for an individuals’ wellbeing beyond academic performance.

We focus on the frameworks of self-determination theory, engineering belonging, identity, to better understand undergraduate …

Engineering Stress Culture In Project-Based Engineering Programs, Lin Chase, Catherine Sleezer, Robert Sleezer, Michelle Soledad

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Background: This research paper examines engineering stress culture in the context of project-based learning engineering programs at the university level. Multiple authors have reported that the culture of engineering and engineering education can be stressful and exclusive. A study conducted by Jensen and Cross [9] found that measures of inclusion such as "Department Caring" and "Department Pride" were negatively correlated with stress, anxiety, and depression. We used the approach developed by Jensen and Cross to examine stress culture in the context of three project-based learning engineering programs.

Purpose: Our goal was to establish a baseline of measures of mental health …

An Integrated Engineering Model For Advising, Rebecca Bates, Catherine Mcgough Spence, Darcie Christensen, Robert Sleezer, Jodi Nelson, Ryan Walerius, Rachael Johnson

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

This evidence-based practice paper describes the theoretical foundations of the supportive advising practices used by the Integrated Engineering Department (IE) at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The driving motivation for the advising model is to support the development of student engineers as whole people. Generally in academia, faculty in traditional professor roles serve as formal advisors, mentors, facilitators, evaluators, and coaches and are joined by full-time staff that serve in roles to support student development. Integrated Engineers at Minnesota State University, Mankato are supported to become the engineer they want to be. This paper describes the unique model employed by IE …

What Do Undergraduate Engineering Students At The Onset Of Emergency Hybrid Learning During Covid-19 Say About Peer Mentorship?, Darcie Christensen, Idalis Villanueva

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

This complete research paper addresses the perceptions of undergraduate engineering students during the onset of the worldwide pandemic (COVID-19) in an engineering college at a western institution of the United States. Specifically, these students were asked about their perceived needs around peer mentorship amidst pivoting between hybrid and in-person learning at the onset of COVID-19.

Mentorship is defined as the interaction between two individuals whose goal is to help one another in psychosocial matters, support personal and professional growth, and provide career guidance. Generally, there are two main types of mentorships recognized: traditional and peer. Traditional mentorship involves a mentor …

Examination Of Ableist Educational Systems And Structures That Limit Access To Engineering Education Through Narratives, Marissa Tsugawa, Brady Webster, Sakshi Solanki, Autumn Cuellar, Catherine Mcgough Spence

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

The purpose of this paper is to examine how higher education systems limit access to engineering education for disabled and neurodivergent engineering students. Throughout this paper we will discuss ableism in higher education systems. Particularly, U.S. institutions and education are designed for non-disabled and neurotypical people rather than with accessibility for all despite legal efforts to improve access to education. We also provide two narratives from the authors that describe their experiences with having a disability and being neurodivergent in engineering education. Finally, we suggest other paradigms and methodologies engineering education researchers can utilize when conducting research on disability and …

Byoe: Making Connections Between Fluid Mechanics And Abstract Painting, Thomas Shepard, Charles Mossey, Jacob Swanson, Colin Huntington, Mary Murphy

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

This bring your own experiment (BYOE) paper details two iterations of a hands-on painting project that has been well-received by fluid mechanics students. In the conception of this project the authors have explored many of the relevant parameters for different painting techniques: drip painting, pendulum painting spray painting, and acrylic pours – one subset of which is spinning pours. These methods were explored both in terms of relevant fluid mechanic phenomenon as well as with hands-on experimentation, reviewing instructional videos and talking with artists. These efforts led to creation of short instructional videos that students can watch before undertaking their …

A Community Framing Of Integrated Engineering, Rebecca Bates, Susan Lord, Emanuela Tilley, Jenna Carpenter

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

The term “integrated engineering” is being used in new education programs. As a framing concept, we believe it has value for the wider engineering education community. A small group of program heads has facilitated conversations about how integrated engineering could benefit other programs and the community in general. This paper provides background and describes some of the outcomes of past conversations with the goal of including more voices in the conversation and initializing the formal use of integrated engineering as a prompt for improving engineering education.

Understanding Learners' Motivation Through Machine Learning Analysis On Reflection Writing, Elizabeth Pluskwik, Yuezhou Wang, Lauren Singelmann

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Educational data mining (EDM) is an emerging interdisciplinary field that utilizes a machine learning (ML) algorithm to collect and analyze educational data, aiming to better predict students' performance and retention. In this WIP paper, we report our methodology and preliminary results from utilizing a ML program to assess students’ motivation through their upper-division years in the XYZ project-based learning (PBL) program. ML, or more specifically, the clustering algorithm, opens the door to processing large amounts of student-written artifacts, such as reflection journals, project reports, and written assignments, and then identifies keywords that signal their levels of motivation (i.e., extrinsic vs. …

Building Partnerships To Bridge The Transfer Gap And Increase Student Success, Cody Mann, Andrew Hanegmon, Anthony Venditto, Katherine Ulseth, Frankie Wood-Black, Liz Cox, Michelle Soledad

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Transfer partnerships continue to be one of the most critical elements of student success. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the bridges and transfer gaps from a two-year college to a university and respect the value of the support and knowledge students are currently receiving at their community college, from the context of the practices and experiences of Iron Range Engineering - Bell. The transfer process, afterall, can be daunting to some students who plan to transition from a community college to a university to finish a Bachelor’s degree. Iron Range Engineering - Bell is a unique, co-op …

Reflections On An Introduction To Project Based Engineering In An Incarcerated Setting, Robert Sleezer, Nicolle Revello, Morgan Round, Kristen O'Connell, Benjamin Orlin, Andrew Roberts

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Education programs in incarcerated settings have a goal of improving the current and future lives of the currently incarcerated individuals. There are many programs that support earning a GED, associate degree, or baccalaureate degree when incarcerated. The benefits of these programs include improved behavior while incarcerated, reduced recidivism, and broadening the workforce. Generally, the courses offered as a part of these programs are general education in nature. This paper discusses an Introduction to Project Based Engineering taught in a women’s prison setting. Specifically, it explores the course as a case study reflected on from several angles. Each reflection illuminates the …

Perceptions Of Future Careers For Middle Year Engineering Students, Catherine Mcgough Spence, Adam Kirn, Lisa Benson

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Background: One facet of motivation relevant to students' learning is their perceptions of the future, including future career goals and how those perceptions influence their present actions; this is collectively referred to as their future time perspective (FTP).

Purpose/Hypothesis: This study describes the different FTPs of engineering students. We aim to help researchers and practitioners leverage students' motivations to improve learning experiences and inform future studies by providing a model of engineering students' FTP.

Design/Method: A phenomenographic approach was used to determine students' different characteristic FTPs within the context of their engineering courses. Interviews with engineering students (n=18) at a …