Engineering Education Commons^™

Learning Outcomes, Benefits, And Challenges Of International Research Experiences For Students (Ires): An Exploratory Study Of An Ires Program In China, Yousef Jalali, James Barilla, Kirsten Davis, Vinod Lohani, Rolf Müller

Journal of International Engineering Education

Despite the increasing number of international programs targeting students’ learning of research and intercultural skills, there has been limited holistic investigation of students’ experiences employing both qualitative and quantitative methods. In this study, we incorporated several measures to explore students’ experiences in an International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program, which benefited from the existing partnership between Virginia Tech in the U.S. and Shandong University in China. We examined students’ intercultural competence and interdisciplinary research skills and explored students’ stories of their lived experiences across three cohorts, each with five students, who completed the IRES program. Both open-ended survey responses …

Investigating Institutional Support For A Minority Engineering Program At A Historically White Institution, Stephanie Damas

All Dissertations

Engineering programs at historically White institutions (HWIs) often perpetuate stereotypes and racism against Black students, impacting their experiences and opportunities in the field. Minority engineering programs (MEPs) provide support and resources to minority students in engineering, challenging stereotypes and fostering positive identity development. MEPs push back on cultural norms by rejecting the stereotypical narrative of what it means to be Black in engineering. Despite their significance, MEPs face challenges in garnering institutional support and recognition within engineering departments. It is imperative to understand what institutional support for MEPs looks like to mitigate barriers identified in the literature. To address these …

Lab To Leadership: How Do Women College Stem Students’ Classroom Experiences Inform Their Leader Identity Development?, Meredith Mcdevitt

All Dissertations

This dissertation is an exploration of leader identity development and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college academic classrooms. While there continues to be research promoting diversity in STEM professions, women remain underrepresented in STEM disciplines, leadership positions, and for this specific study, the college academic classroom. This dissertation represents an opportunity for women in STEM college students to reflect on their experiences in STEM academic spaces and communities, while self-exploring factors that shape their leader identity development. The research utilized a basic qualitative research design to understand the participant’s authentic experiences within the academic environment. Conducting semi-structured …

Teaching Learning Newsletter Vol 4 Issue 1, Sastra Deemed To Be University

TLC Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Influence Of The Work Environment On Workplace Learning Of Undergraduate Engineering Interns, Yashin Brijmohan

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Internships are an impactful form of workplace learning that helps undergraduate engineering students acquire and enhance competencies to improve their employability. However, the nuances about what makes an internship successful are not well understood. Furthermore, learning during engineering internships has not been thoroughly researched. Previous literature has mostly focused on internship outcomes, and there is little discussion on how to improve internship experiences to achieve the expected outcomes. Thus, this qualitative study explored the workplace learning environment of internships and how engineering undergraduate students engaged with workplace learning. The study has produced a comprehensive framework that illustrates important factors in …

Wip: A Novel Learning Log Application For Classifying Learning Events Using Bloom’S Taxonomy, Alex M. Phan, Jenna Metera, Sonia Fereidoona, Cham Yang, Minju Kim, Carolyn L. Sandoval, Phuong Truong

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Learning can be a daunting and challenging process, particularly in engineering. While cognitive models for learning such as Bloom's taxonomy have been developed since the 1950s and evidenced to be useful in designing engineering courses, these models are not commonly explicitly taught in classrooms to help students manage and regulate their own learning. In highly demanding curriculum such as engineering, ineffective strategies can lead to poor academic performance that cascades throughout a student’s academic career. Feedback from traditional examinations often do not provide personalized and actionable changes to study habits (i.e., with suboptimal scores, students may know they need to …

Board 125: Work In Progress: Faculty Experiences And Learning Through Oral-Assessment Implementation In Engineering Courses, Minju Kim, Carolyn L. Sandoval, Josephine Relaford-Doyle, Torus Washington Ii, Saharnaz Baghdadchi, Nathan Delson, Marko Lubarda, Alex M. Phan, Curt Schurgers, Huihui Qi

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

This WIP qualitative research paper explores faculty experiences with implementing oral exams in high-enrollment undergraduate engineering courses at a research university. With a primary goal to improve conceptual mastery, as well as a desire to ensure academic integrity in the sudden move to remote instruction at the height of the pandemic, a group of faculty in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments implemented oral assessments in their own engineering courses across several quarters. They formed a research group with educational developers in a teaching and learning center on campus, and investigated the impact of oral assessments …

Board 303: Implementing Oral Exams In Engineering Classes To Positively Impact Students' Learning, Huihui Qi, Carolyn L. Sandoval, Curt Schurgers, Marko Lubarda, Alex M. Phan, Saharnaz Baghdadchi, Maziar Ghazinejad, Minju Kim, Zongnan Wang, Nathan Delson

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In this paper, we present the outcomes of a three-year NSF IUSE project focused on the integration of oral examinations in engineering classes. Our exploration begins with an examination of the manifold advantages of oral exams, benefiting both students and instructors. We delve into oral exams as an assessment tool, elucidating their learning benefits and emotional advantages. While some of these aspects align with existing literature, we also unveil novel findings. Additionally, we address the benefits for instructors and Teaching Assistants (TAs), encompassing informative insights that can catalyze instructional improvements. Next, we share our strategies for mitigating the scalability challenges …

Leveraging Human-In-The-Loop Engagement Through Ai In Web Design Education: A Case Study On Adapting To Dynamic Client Requirements, Jason D. Lively

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within educational frameworks, particularly in disciplines such as web design and development, represents a significant evolution in pedagogical strategies. This article examines a unique educational setup where students, while engaging in a web design class, utilize AI tools for text, image, and code creation within a simulated real-world scenario involving a client—dubbed "Chef Cookie Cutter". This simulated client interaction introduces unpredictability through mid-assignment requirement changes, thereby mimicking the dynamic nature of real-world web development projects. The focus of this case study is the critical role of human-in-the-loop (HITL) engagement in AI-assisted assignments, where students' …

Community College Engineering Degree Partnerships With 4-Year Universities, Jeffrey Mark Stear

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing the number of STEM professionals and reducing inequities in STEM are national priorities. Community colleges are important to address these concerns because they represent a higher percentage of underrepresented minority (URM) and women students. However, students starting 4-year STEM degrees in community college have had a lower completion rate. Partnerships between community colleges and 4-year universities have the potential to improve success for community college students, but more research is necessary. The purpose of this ex post facto, quantitative, correlational study was to determine the relationships among participation in different types of partnerships between community colleges and 4-year universities, …

Graduate School Academic Catalog 2024-2025, Graduate School Of Engineering And Management, Air Force Institute Of Technology, Walter F. Jones

AFIT Documents

No abstract provided.

Reflections Of Undergraduate Engineering Students Completing A Cross Disciplinary Robotics Project With Pre-Service Teachers And Fifth Graders In An Electromechanical Systems Course, Krishnanand Kaipa, Jennifer Kidd, Isaac Koduah Kumi, Stacie I. Ringleb, Orlando M. Ayala, Kristie Gutierrez, Francisco Cima, Danielle Marie Rhemer

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Engineering is becoming increasingly cross-disciplinary, requiring students to develop skills in multiple engineering disciplines (e.g., mechanical engineering students having to learn the basics of electronics, instrumentation, and coding) and interprofessional skills to integrate perspectives from people outside their field. In the workplace, engineering teams are frequently multidisciplinary, and often, people from outside of engineering are part of the team that brings a product to market. Additionally, teams are often diverse in age, race, gender, and in other areas. Teams that creatively utilize the contrasting perspectives and ideas arising from these differences can positively affect team performance and generate solutions effective …

Inaugural Future Of Bse Days: Workshop Report, Mark Stone

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The inaugural Future of BSE Days (FBD) event, held on May 2-3, 2024, brought together the Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) community to discuss and shape the future of work and learning within the field. The event was designed to foster collaboration between faculty, students, industry leaders, and alumni, with the goal of reimagining the department’s educational approach, enhancing industry partnerships, and preparing students for the challenges of tomorrow. Over the course of two days, participants engaged in insightful discussions, workshops, and presentations that highlighted both the strengths of the department and opportunities for growth.

The workshop resulted in several key …

Student Use Of Anchors And Metacognitive Strategies In Reflection, Anu Singh, Heidi A. Diefes-Dux

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Context: Self-regulation, a skillset involving taking charge of one’s own learning processes, is crucial for workplace success. Learners develop self-regulation skills through reflection where they recognize weaknesses and strengths by employing metacognitive strategies: planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Use of anchors assists learners’ engagement in reflection. Purpose or Goal: The purpose of this work was to gain insight into students’ use of anchors when reflecting on their learning. The two research questions: (1) To what extent do students link their self-evaluation and learning objective (LO) self-ratings to their reflections? and (2) What dimensions and level of metacognitive strategies do students use …

Long-Term Impact Of A Semester-Long Multidisciplinary Service-Learning Assignment In A Fluid Mechanics Course, Orlando M. Ayala, Kristie Gutierrez, Isaac Koduah Kumi, Francisco Cima, Stacie I. Ringleb, Krishnanand Kaipa, Danielle M. Rhemer, Pilar Pazos, Jennifer Jill Kidd

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Seventy-three students who enrolled in a senior-year level fluid mechanics course during spring semesters from 2019-2023 were asked about their perceptions on the impact in their professional preparation of a semester-long multidisciplinary service-learning assignment. This paper aims to evaluate their current perceived impact of the assignment (long-term impact) and whether it might have changed from when they took the course (short-term impact). The project tested their creativity, knowledge of fluid mechanics concepts, and skills to work with people from other disciplines. They were told that they were working for a hypothetical company, “Engineering is for all,” and were assigned to …

The Benefits Of Interdisciplinary Learning Opportunities For Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Students, Isaac Koduah Kumi, Stacie I. Ringleb, Francisco Cima, Orlando M. Ayala, Krishnanand Kaipa, Jennifer Jill Kidd, Kristie Gutierrez, Pilar Pazos, Danielle Marie Rhemer

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Two project-based learning approaches were implemented in a 100-level information literacy class in the Mechanical Engineering program at a mid-Atlantic university. One approach, the treatment group, partnered engineering students with education students to develop and deliver engineering lessons to elementary school students. In the second approach, the comparison group, engineering students were partnered with their engineering classmates to work on an engineering problem using the engineering design process. The two projects were designed to have similar durations and course point values. For both projects, teams were formed, and peer evaluations were completed using the Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness …

On Confidence And Sense Of Belonging In Cybersecurity Students: Analysis & Prediction, Sadaf Amna Sarwari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion of cybersecurity programs across higher education institutions in response to the widening skills gap in the cybersecurity job market. This study adopts quantitative and qualitative approaches to identify factors influencing West Virginia University (WVU)’s LANE Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (LCSEE) students’ confidence and sense of belonging in the cybersecurity field. The results are based on data collected from surveys administered to LCSEE students in April 2022 and April 2023. The responses were analyzed using descriptive & inferential statistics and logistic regression techniques. Additionally, the 2023 data was utilized …

First-Year Engineering Students’ Motivation To Participate In Virtual International Collaborative Experiential Program (Vicep): An Expectancy-Value-Cost Approach, Cedrick Kwuimy, So Yoon Yoon

Journal of International Engineering Education

Changes in course delivery mechanisms necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity to develop a Virtual International Collaborative Experiential Program (VICEP) as an alternative to traditional, travel-based study abroad programs. This paper presents the results of an investigation of engineering students’ motivation, perceived challenges, and preferred geographic areas for the VICEP. A sample of 116 first-year engineering students at the University of Cincinnati responded to survey items regarding their perceptions of motivation to participate in the VICEP, including in terms of expectancy, value, and cost, along with open-ended questions. Both male and female students scored the highest on value …

Guidelines For Sustainable Use Of Mobile Instant Messaging Apps In Higher Education: A South African Case Study, Bronwyn C. Swartz, Sweta Patnaik

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The purpose of the study was to propose guidelines to facilitate the sustainable and successful use of mobile instant messaging apps for learning and teaching based on a review of the literature and perceptions of educators. Fraser’s model of redistribution, recognition, and representation served as the theoretical framework. This study provides a mechanism for the development of a socially just and inclusive online classroom environment.

Method: We conducted two focus groups (n = 4 and n = 3) in November 2021 at a university of technology in South Africa to explore the perceptions of educators on using mobile …

Teaching Learning Newsletter Vol 3 Issue 3, Sastra Deemed To Be University

TLC Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Embracing Identities And Affirming Agency: Exploring Effective Mentorship For Women Doctoral Students In Engineering Disciplines Using An Intersectional Lens, Jennifer Brown

All Dissertations

Positive mentoring experiences are crucial for retaining and advancing those who hold marginalized identities in STEM, as they foster a greater sense of belonging and self-efficacy that encourage these students to persist in their fields. Marginalized identities in STEM include, but are not limited to, women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), low-income, first-generation, neurodivergent, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Oftentimes, these identities intersect, introduce additional nuance in interactions within engineering spaces, and affect the mentoring support that both mentees and their mentors require.

Prior research has shown the reciprocal value that is created when graduate students are …

Teaching To Develop Perspective, Skills, Confidence, And Identity As Problem-Solving Engineers, Russell Kirk Pirlo

Research and Reflection on Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

The “core” of an engineering degree program typically comprises the concepts, equations, and technical skills needed, as well as their practical application to common problems of the profession. This core is then divided into the “content” that must be covered in each course. It is widely recognized, however, that successful individuals do not thrive as professionals on content alone. Thus, there is significant and increasing emphasis across higher education to “educate the whole person.” These efforts aim to develop “deep” qualities like grit, critical thinking, perseverance, learning from failure, valuing diversity, teamwork, leadership, curiosity, recognizing opportunity, creating value, and acting …

Re(Engineering) Student Success: Constructing Knowledge On Students’ Experiences In Engineering Education Programs To Encourage Holistic Student Success, Shaylin Williams

Theses and Dissertations

If a group of engineering deans were asked whether students at their institutions were successful and why, what information might they immediately or subconsciously use to measure or gauge the engineering students’ success? If only academic performance outcomes like GPA, individual course grades, or graduation rate race to their minds, then their rationale aligns with the majority of researchers. My research seeks to shift the mindset that frames engineering student success mainly within the boundaries of academic performance measures. By measuring students’ perceived autonomy, competence, social integration and relatedness within their programs, and aspirations after graduation, one can more accurately …

Examining The Influence Of The Classroom Environment On Motivation, Belonging, And Academic Confidence In Engineering Education: A Relational Developmental Systems Approach, Robert O'Hara

All Dissertations

This dissertation explores the impact of the classroom environment on undergraduate engineering students by integrating three manuscripts using the process-person-context-time (PPCT) model within Bioecological Systems Theory. Each manuscript focused on students’ sense of belonging, motivation, and academic confidence. The study confirms prior research suggesting a link between students' perceptions of the environment and their sense of belonging, motivation, and academic confidence. The findings highlight the complex nature of student and classroom environment relationships throughout their college experience. Moreover, the results are demonstrated across different engineering majors. Overall, this dissertation highlights the significance of understanding the complex interactions between students and …

The Unstoppable Rise Of Ai: An Interview With Dr. John Sanford, Spencer Burrows, And Anna Birchler, Brandon Powell, Spencer Burrows

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

AI can both help and hurt the education field (higher education and secondary education). Despite Hollywood’s depiction of artificial intelligence solely in the form of killer death robots decades into the future, AI is much more versatile - and far more dangerous - than any killer robot could be. As artificial intelligence develops at a breakneck pace, its effect on our society will increase exponentially.

An Investigation Of The Advantages And Disadvantages Of University Students As Avatars In Virtual Learning Spaces, Gary Burnett, Catherine Harvey

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

Authors have noted the increasing importance of avatars in Higher Education, as more teaching is conducted virtually, drawing upon gaming conventions. However, it is also recognised that little is known about how students make use of avatars (especially over an extended period) and the subsequent impact on learning experiences. For the last three years, a university module has been conducted within a persistent virtual world – where students (49 in 2020; 95 in 2021; 122 in 2022) predominantly interact with each other and teaching staff in avatar form. Observation data constitutes 60 hours of video recordings of virtual world seminars. …

Teaching Learning Newsletter Vol 3 Issue 2, Sastra Deemed To Be University

TLC Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Perceived Stress During Oral Examination On Student Performance Outcomes, Alex M. Phan, Minju Kim, Marko V. Lubarda, Curt Schurgers, Huihui Qi

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Perceived stress plays an important role in student performance during examinations. There has been substantial research on how examinations impact students' emotional experiences in diverse academic contexts in connection to validity, reliability, and equity of assessment. The potential of some exams to produce increased anxiety in a portion of students has been recognized as a serious threat to these three assessment attributes. In light of this, the need for further studies on the impact of perceived stress on student performance is critical with the recent rise in interest in oral examinations as an assessment tool for large undergraduate courses. This …

From Rote Learning To Deep Learning: Filling The Gap By Enhancing Engineering Students' Reasoning Skills Through Explanatory Learning Activities, Huihui Qi, Minju Kim, Yu Li, Carolyn L. Sandoval, Curt Schurgers, Marko Lubarda, Xuan Emily Gedney, Saharnaz Baghdadchi, Alex M. Phan

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Rote learning refers to the superficial learning of concepts and procedures, typically by brute memorization and with little integration into existing cognitive schemas, resulting in poor knowledge retention and inability to apply the knowledge in new and evolving contexts. With rote learning, students usually learn declarative and procedural knowledge but usually do not pay attention to conditional knowledge (when to use what knowledge). As a result, they usually can replicate the problem-solving process in a familiar context but are unable to transfer the knowledge and use the concept for a new application.

This paper explores the use of explanatory learning …

Peer Oral Exams: A Learner-Centered Authentic Assessment Approach Scalable To Large Classes, Marko V. Lubarda, Alex M. Phan, Maziar Ghazinejad, Nathan Delson, Saharnaz Baghdadchi, Curt Schurgers, Minju Kim, Josephine Relaford-Doyle, Carolyn L. Sandoval, Huihui Qi

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Peer oral exams, a cross between oral exams and peer assessment, were designed and implemented in a high-enrollment undergraduate computer programming course for engineers. The intention was to leverage the educational and implementational advantages of both evidence-based approaches simultaneously. Oral exams, for instance, have been argued to promote conceptual understanding, self-reflection, communication competency, and professional identity formation in students – but their deployment in large classes is resource-demanding and nontrivial, stifling their broader adoption. Peer assessment, on the other hand, is highly scalable and affords students many potential educational benefits of its own, including the benefits of peer-enhanced learning, more …