Engineering Education Commons^™

Reflections On Asset-Based Pre-College Engineering Education To Promote Equity: An Introduction To The Special Issue, Lee Martin, Kristen B. Wendell

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

In our call for proposals, we argued that engineering education is in need of a paradigm shift that takes students’ assets as epistemologically primary to our conception of what engineering, and engineering education, can and should be. The 12 papers collected in this special issue show how a focus on youth assets can realign engineering education to be more humane, more inclusive, and just as meaningful as that of a traditional model. The papers offer both theoretical argumentation and empirical evidence to support their answers to the question of how asset-based approaches can improve engineering education. An emergent theme in …

Changing The Process In Educational Field And Air Navigation Through Advances In Hologram Technology, Camilo Fernandez Sr.

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The objective of this piece is to propose reasons that change the way air traffic controllers and others learn and work in air navigation, but also how they can improve workloads, due to the implementation of holographic radar. This research also aims to describe how this could reduce the cognitive load of an operator, thanks to the improvement of visual perspective and capacity of analysis, in order to more easily control an aircraft.

Seeing that the visual facilitation is well known, radar is able to represent in three dimensions and in detail that which could not previously be perceived. This …

You Want Me To Teach Engineering? Impacts Of Recurring Experiences On K-12 Teachers’ Engineering Design Self-Efficacy, Familiarity With Engineering, And Confidence To Teach With Design-Based Learning Pedagogy, Shaunna Smith, Kimberly Talley, Araceli Ortiz, Vedaraman Sriraman

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

This paper reports on findings from a group of ten teachers who were enrolled in a semester-long, graduate-level educational technology course that used design-based learning to explore the integration of making and the engineering design process into a variety of K-12 educational contexts. Using convergent mixed methods, this study examines how the course impacted teachers’ familiarity and confidence in teaching the engineering design process, as viewed through their pre- and post-semester engineering design self-efficacy scores and their weekly reflective journal entries. These measures are important factors for developing teacher experience and confidence in integrating engineering and design-based learning strategies within …

Intersecting Engineering And Literacies: A Review Of The Literature On Communicative Literacies In K-12 Engineering Education, Katarina N. Silvestri, Michelle E. Jordan, Patricia Paugh, Mary B. Mcvee, Diane L. Schallert

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Given the increased attention on pre-college engineering education and its disciplinary nature pertaining to language, discourses, and communicative practices, this state-of-the-art literature review focused on findings of research articles informed by qualitative and quantitative data to foreground communicative literacies within engineering design teams at the pre-college level. A disciplinary literacies framework was used to interpret and analyze published works in this particular domain. A search, selection, and inclusion process typical for state-of-the-art reviews yielded 33 studies. Constant comparison and open-coding led to clustering studies under five overarching themes in ranked order of frequency of occurrence pertaining to: (a) engineering disciplinary …

Research Experiences Instrument Scoring Guide, Eric Holloway, Kerrie Anna Douglas, William Charles Oakes, David Radcliffe

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

This document is a scoring guide to assist higher-education administrators, faculty, and researchers who wish to use the Research Experiences Instrument (REI). There are five aspects, or factors, that the REI is intended to measure relative to engineering Ph.D. students’ opportunities to practice being a professional in their research experiences, and an overall REI score. Detailed scoring instructions are provided. The REI was developed to assess how the research experiences of engineering Ph.D. students are preparing them for practice. Utilizing a rigorous instrument development process, the REI was shown to be a tool that can reliably and validly be used …

Improving Writing Quality Of Capstone Reports, Fred Berry, Margaret Phillips, James Condron, Phillip Sanger

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Abstract-Contributions: The main contribution is to share a series of practical methods that improve the writing quality of capstone reports. Background: The ability to write well is critical to the success of an engineering technology graduate. However, the evidence points to the fact that industries are disappointed with the quality of writing skills graduates demonstrate. Intended Outcomes: A faculty review of capstone reports showed little improvement in writing quality from the first course to the second in a two-semester capstone sequence. Therefore, the instructors explored what actions were needed to improve the writing quality of the capstone reports. Application Design: …

How Engineering Technology Students Perceive Mathematics, Meher R. Taleyarkhan, Anne M. Lucietto, Therese M. Azevedo

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Engineering Technology (ET) is often combined with that of Engineering. Although Engineering Technology is based on a more hands-on approach and Engineering a theoretical approach, the two majors share a very similar pedagogy in teaching students the same engineering and scientific principles. An observation by an ET professor found that ET students more often than not would eschew the use of mathematical computations and instead provide answers they believe to be correct, without computation or explanation. Leading researchers to delve into possible reasons as to why ET students are reluctant to utilize mathematics. This study utilized in-person interviews with 15 …

Integrating Online Discussions Into Engineering Curriculum To Endorse Interdisciplinary Viewpoints, Promote Authentic Learning, And Improve Information Literacy, Lisa Bosman, Kurt Paterson, Margaret Phillips

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Engineering is very much an applied discipline where math and science concepts, skills, and tools can be used to design products or processes with new and/or increased value. Research suggests active learning is an effective method for teaching and learning in the engineering classroom. Moreover, students continue to express increased satisfaction when taught using this experiential pedagogical approach. One approach to active learning gaining traction in the engineering classroom is the use of online discussions. The purpose of this paper is to offer a structured approach for engineering educators to develop online discussion prompts aimed to prepare engineering students for …

Integrating The Entrepreneurial Mindset Into The Engineering Classroom, Lisa Bosman, Margaret Phillips

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

CONTRIBUTION: This paper highlights one approach to fostering the entrepreneurial mindset in the engineering classroom. BACKGROUND: Entrepreneurship and innovation are currently trending topics in engineering education and will continue developing for the foreseeable future. INTENDED OUTCOMES: The guiding research question is: How can an entrepreneurial mindset focused learning experience improve student self-regulation, seeing value, and lifelong learning through metacognitive reflections? APPLICATION DESIGN: The study is implemented within a five-week module focused on developing the entrepreneurial mindset as part of a required course on supply chain management technology. The supporting pedagogical interventions include authentic learning, information literacy, a mix of low …

Preface And Acknowledgments, William S. Walker Iii, Lynn A. Bryan, Siddika Selcen Guzey, Elizabeth Suazo-Flores

Indiana STEM Education Conference

No abstract provided.

Contents, William S. Walker Iii, Lynn A. Bryan, Siddika Selcen Guzey, Elizabeth Suazo-Flores

Indiana STEM Education Conference

No abstract provided.

How Does An Integrated Stem Life Sciences Unit Affect Middle School Students' Engagement And Science Content Knowledge?, Zeynep Gonca Akdemir, Muhsin Menekse, Saira Anwar, Siddika Selcen Guzey

Indiana STEM Education Conference

This study explored the effect of an integrated engineering design-based life sciences unit on middle school students' engagement and science content knowledge, and the role of engagement in predicting their success. Participants were 530 seventh-grade students from rural schools in the Midwest region of the United States. Data included science content pre- and post-assessments and a multidimensional engagement survey. The data were analyzed by conducting paired-sample t-tests and multiple regression analysis. Results indicated that students' social engagement increased when they engaged in an integrated engineering design-based life science curriculum unit. Also, students’ pre-assessment scores were found to be the …

Goals And Proceedings Information, William S. Walker Iii, Lynn A. Bryan, Siddika Selcen Guzey, Elizabeth Suazo-Flores

Indiana STEM Education Conference

No abstract provided.

Students Becoming Supervisors: Student Transformation During A Cross-National, Collaborative Community Engineering Project, Alessandra Napoli, Kevin Nyaga, Dhinesh Radhakrishnan, Jennifer J. Deboer

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The Tumaini Innovation Center in Eldoret, Kenya, is an alternative primary and vocational school for former "street youth." The DeBoer Lab at Purdue has partnered with Tumaini for the last five years to develop and support integrated engineering activities for the students, which apply their learning to solve problems in their own communities. A Purdue Service Learning Grant project started in November 2018 resulted in the construction of a community gym at Tumaini. A low-cost custom made gym was designed by a team of doctoral and undergraduate students at Purdue in collaboration with Tumaini. In addition to the design and …

Emergence And Compassion: A Reflection On Interpersonal Priorities Strategies Within Collaborative Settings, Chanel Beebe

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The nature of work with and for humans and communities requires intentional relationship building that can be rife with complexities, foibles, discomfort, and learning. As scholars, researchers, practitioners, educators, and students, we carry a multitude of identities and dispositions that make collaborative work and change-making a messy and potentially emotional journey. Thus, many groups that find themselves on this journey often struggle to develop harmonious or impactful lasting relationships and often create toxic or harmful working environments for those who are the most marginalized or have the least power. The goal of this work is to provide a reflection on …

Retrospective Analysis Of Participatory Decision-Making In A Park's Construction In Lafayette, Indiana, Joshua Randall

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The Creative Park project has been an ongoing collaboration between Purdue Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS), Faith Community Development Corporation, and the residents of Lincoln Neighborhood in Lafayette, Indiana. It was initiated by Faith in 2017 as an open-ended attempt to increase local children’s interactions with creative and complex thinking as well as decreasing time spent indoors at the Hartford Hub. Through several iterations of designs, an interdisciplinary team with one consistent member has developed a plan to build a treehouse-themed park to be constructed in spring 2020. Throughout this time two major themes have arisen: that the collaboration …

Elementary Teachers’ Mental Images Of Engineers At Work, Rebekah Hammack, Juliana Utley, Toni Ivey, Karen High

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

The purpose of the current study was to determine the impacts of a multiple-day engineering-focused professional development program on elementary teachers’ perceptions of the work of engineers and their use of mathematics and science. Data were collected in the form of drawings of engineers prior to and immediately after the professional development program as well as an open-ended exit survey at the end of the program. Participants’ drawings were scored in the following areas: use of mathematics, use of science, and work of an engineer. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests revealed that the only significant change between measures was in ‘‘work of …

The Importance Of Collaborative Design For Narrowing The Gender Gap In Engineering: An Analysis Of Engineering Identity Development In Elementary Students, Mandy Mclean, Jasmine M. Nation, Alexis Spina, Tyler Susko, Danielle Harlow, Julie Bianchini

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Research suggests that, to narrow the gender gap in engineering, we should focus on helping young girls identify with engineering both because gendered attitudes emerge around kindergarten and because identity is more predictive than performance on persistence in the field. This qualitative study sought to understand the impact of collaborative engineering design on the development of engineering identities in elementary-school students and compared the findings across gender. We focused on three tiers of collaboration embedded into the engineering design process: peer groups, role models, and shared goals. More specifically, the elementary students worked in small teams and partnered with undergraduate …

Comparison Of Pre-Intervention Idi Results From Stem And Non-Stem Undergraduate Students, Anne M. Lucietto, Lisa Russell

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The emphasis on intercultural competence is more prevalent in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) majors as the world shifts towards a more globalized economy. When entering higher education, students have differing levels of cultural interaction due to varying peer interaction, family experiences, international travel, and social media experiences. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) has been used to develop an understanding of how students view others and the level of skills they have to interact and adapt to other cultures. Using published data focused on pre-intervention assessment, researchers compared it to data obtained from STEM students preparing for an international …

Math Anxiety: Engineering Technology Students Problem Solving Through Rational Or Experiential Context, Anne M. Lucietto, Meher Rusi Taleyarkhan, Natalie Hobson, Therese M. Azevedo

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Math anxiety is a pernicious problem. The issue manifests in a variety of ways, some avoid math completely, while others enact coping skills to avoid the use of math. This study surveys students who are pursuing Engineering Technology degrees and delves into the tendencies of the students and how they utilize certain types of problem-solving techniques. The survey utilized the instrument Cognitive-Experiential Self Theory (CEST) [1]. The survey will help to learn the extent to which the students rely on the rational and experiential context of their lives to answer technical questions. The study is intended to enlighten educators and …

Professional Women Identify Their Professional And Personal Needs, Anne M. Lucietto, Diane L. Peters, Meher Rusi Taleyarkhan, Shelly Tan

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Professional women in various fields often express issues they encounter in being able to access quality materials to support professional and personal needs, as well as work-life balance. By studying a variety of modes through which these materials are generally obtained, including conference participation, informal communication via social media, and utilization of networking opportunities, several gaps were identified in available support for professionals. Professionals from various backgrounds were also surveyed in order to better identify their needs in terms of career development. Distributed through a variety of social networks including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as well as the Indiana Secretary …

Math Anxiety In Female And Underrepresented Minority Students A Literature Review, Anne M. Lucietto, Meher Rusi Taleyarkhan, Therese M. Azevedo, Natalie Hobson

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Educators have noticed that some students respond to exercises requiring mathematical calculations with numerical answers that are not correct and far from realistic. These student solutions are often given without further comment or calculation by the students and seem to such avoidance by the students to engage with the numerical calculations. Anecdotal evidence, by these educators, suggest that such responses are more prevalent from female and underrepresented minority groups — raising the question of whether demographics play a role in a students’ approach to numerical problems. Researchers have searched for existing work in this area and find that there are …

Public Perception Of Engineering Technology: A Literature Review, Anne M. Lucietto, Shelly Tan, Liza Ann Russell, Mary E. Johnson

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Engineering technology describes a field closely related to engineering in which practical application of learned concepts is emphasized over theoretical knowledge. Although an increasing amount of emphasis is being placed on the importance of this experiential learning in all engineering curricula, and the specifics of engineering technology’s place among engineering and technical fields is becoming clearer, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of several key aspects of this field. One of these aspects is its perception by the general public, which is important in, among other things, determining the employability of engineering technology program graduates and encouraging the …

Advancing High School Stem Education: Implications For Engineering Technology, Anne M. Lucietto, Mesut Akdere

School of Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

A novel STEM education approach focused on competency-based education was implemented in a college preparatory high school. This high school is intended to provide students access to a nearby higher education institution, with the intent of aiding the students in obtaining STEM based education. This program prepares the students to move into the university environment by encouraging faculty collaboration with the high school, coursework promoting creativity and problem-solving skills, and the use of case studies in classroom instruction. These case studies are grounded in real-life scenarios students can expect to encounter in a professional setting. This study focuses on the …

Understanding Early Childhood Engineering Interest Development As A Family-Level Systems Phenomenon: Findings From The Head Start On Engineering Project, Scott Pattison, Gina Svarovsky, Smirla Ramos-MontañEz, Ivel Gontan, Shannon Weiss, VeróNika NúÑEz, Pam Corrie, Cynthia Smith, Marcie Benne

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

There is growing recognition that interest is critical for engaging and supporting learners from diverse communities in engineering and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics. Although interest research has historically focused on older children, studies demonstrate that preschool-age and younger children also develop persistent, individualized interests in different objects, activities, and topics and that these early interests have important implications for ongoing learning and development. Unfortunately, there is relatively little research on engineering learning in early childhood and almost no work specific to the concept of interest. To begin to address this need, we conducted in-depth case study …

Establishing A Content Taxonomy For The Coherent Study Of Engineering In P-12 Schools, Greg Strimel, Tanner Huffman, Michael Grubbs, Eunhye Kim, Jamie Gurganus

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Engineering education has increasingly become an area of interest at the P-12 level, yet attempts to align engineering knowledge, skills, and habits to existing elementary and secondary educational programming have been parochial in nature (e.g., for a specific context, grade, or initiative). Consequently, a need exists to establish a coherent P-12 content framework for engineering teaching and learning, which would serve as both an epistemological foundation for the subject and a guide for the design of developmentally appropriate educational standards, performance expectations, learning progressions, and assessments. A comprehensive framework for P-12 engineering education would include a compelling rationale and vision …

Capturing Children With Autism’S Engagement In Engineering Practices: A Focus On Problem Scoping, Hoda Ehsan, Monica E. Cardella

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

In the last two decades, pre-college engineering education has increased, with research on pre-college engineering education emerging as a nascent field. However, limited research, if any, has considered aspects of engineering thinking of children with neurodiversity. In line with calls for broadening participation in engineering education, consideration of neurodiverse children is critical. Among various neurodiverse conditions, the number of children with autism is rapidly growing. In addition, studies have shown that individuals with autism have the potential to perform well in activities that require systematizing abilities. Engineering is one such activity. Prior research has provided evidence of the importance of …

Assessing The Impact Of Ires On Researchers, Research Outcomes, And Students: A Case Study Approach, David B. Knight, Nicole Sanderlin, Kirsten A. Davis

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

IRES programs seek to develop globally connected future researchers while also facilitating broader long-term collaborations between U.S.-based and international research groups. Faculty and student exchanges are expected to result in international linkages between the researchers that bring new insights and methods to U.S.-based research projects, leading to transformative research. In this project, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of IRES programs through a case study analysis. The nine selected cases focused specifically on engineering-focused IRES experiences for ease of comparison. Case studies included interviews with all U.S. PI’s, a selection of additional international and U.S. faculty researchers, and select student alumni …

The Influence Of Connecting Funds Of Knowledge To Beliefs About Performance, Classroom Belonging, Dina Verdín, Jessica Smith, Juan Lucena

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

First-generation college students in engineering accumulate bodies of knowledge through their working-class families. In our ethnographic data of first-generation college students, we identified tinkering knowledge from home and from work, perspective taking, mediational ability, and connecting experiences as knowledge sources brought to engineering. The purpose of this paper was to understand how first-generation college students’ accumulated bodies of knowledge (i.e., funds of knowledge) support their beliefs about performing well in engineering coursework, feeling a sense of belonging in the classroom, and certainty of graduating. Data for this study came from a survey administered in the Fall of 2018 from ten …

Do After-School Robotics Programs Expand The Pipeline Into Stem Majors In College?, Cathy Burack, Alan Melchior, Matthew Hoover

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

One result of the growing concerns over the numbers of young people moving into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related careers has been the expansion of formal and informal STEM education programming for pre-college youth, from elementary school through high school. While the number of programs has grown rapidly, there is little research on their long-term impacts on participant education and career trajectories. This paper presents interim findings from a multi-year longitudinal study of three national after-school robotics programs that engage students in designing, building, and competing complex robots with the goal of inspiring long-term interest in STEM. Focusing on …