Acer Research Conference Proceedings (2016), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The focus of ACER’s Research Conference 2016 will be on what we are learning from research about ways of improving levels of STEM learning. Australia faces significant challenges in promoting improved science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning in our schools. Research Conference 2016 will showcase research into what it will take to address these challenges, which include: the decline in Australian students’ mathematical and scientific ‘literacy’; the decline in STEM study in senior school; a shortage of highly qualified STEM subject teachers, and curriculum challenges. You will hear from researchers who work with teachers to engage students in studying …

Development And Implementation Of Problem-Based Chemistry Experiments For Engineering Students In A Multi-Disciplinary Course, Tiffany Hesser, Stephanie R. Bunyea

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper will describe the implementation and continuing development of five problem based laboratory experiments in a general chemistry course designed specifically for multiple disciplines of engineering students at the University of New Haven. The Problem Based Laboratory Experiments (PBLE) were developed to provide students with the opportunity to perform and develop experimental procedures working in interdisciplinary teams, while achieving a greater understanding of the role of chemistry in engineering fields. In each PBLE, students first complete a traditional chemistry experiment to gain an understanding of the chemical concepts and to become familiar with executing a written procedure with a …

Understanding Identity And Personality Authenticity Of Engineering Students, Kylie D. Stoup

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Women are underrepresented in engineering, with 18-20% of engineering students being women¹. We, therefore, used the framework of identity theory and self-concept differentiation to better understand female and male engineering student retention. An exploratory approach is used to measure freshman and senior engineering students’ personality and authenticity of personality across engineering and non-engineering contexts. First, we found personality profiles among engineering freshmen and seniors in engineering settings, and then compared them to their personality in nonacademic settings for authenticity purposes. Big 5 Personality and Authenticity scale were methods used through a survey to determine personality and authenticity in …

Leadership, Culture, And Academic Success, An Internal And External Departmental Analysis And Comparison Of The James Madison University Engineering Program, Sierra Hahn-Ventrell

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Madison Engineering is a unique young program that does not follow the traditional teachings of engineering education. The following study analyzes the output variable of academic success of the Madison Engineering program in relation to the culture of the program and the leadership styles of those in management positions within the department. Eight comparative schools were selected, analyzed, and surveyed to compare to Madison Engineering and cross-examine how different leadership styles affect certain outputs.

From extensive research and benchmarking, data was collected to compare measures of leadership and culture to output variables of academic success. A survey was further conducted …

Thinking Like A Pro: How Experts And Novices Solve Problems Differently | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Jan. 7, 2016 – Engineering education experts at Utah State University are narrowing in on new insights into why young engineering students drop out of their programs or change majors.

It’s an increasingly important conversation as government and industry leaders push for more college graduates in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields. And yet nationwide, only about half of all engineering students complete their degrees.

Developing Critical Collaboration Skills In Engineering Students: Results From An Empirical Study, Pilar Pazos, Nina Magpili, Zikai Zhou, Luis J. Rodriguez

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

In highly technical organizations, work is becoming increasingly distributed; requiring practicing engineers to master virtual collaboration skills while acquiring expertise in a range of collaboration technologies. Although there has been great emphasis on developing collaboration competencies in the engineering curriculum, empirical evidence of successful strategies for distributed team settings is scarce. As an attempt to fill this gap this study investigates the impact of a scalable intervention in developing virtual collaboration skills. The intervention, based on instructional scaffolds embedded with collaboration technologies, is aimed at supporting specific processes including planning, goal setting, clarifying goals and expectations, communication, coordination and progress …

Sems Says: Finding The Real Problem Is The Key, Curricula Should Teach, Patrick Hester, Pilar Pazos

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The article offers the authors' insight on problem formulation and teamwork in engineering managers. Topics discussed include the importance of problem structuring in problem solution and decision making, the importance of competencies with teamwork to the success of a project, and the professional skill development of engineering students.

Exploring The Role Of Spatial Cognition In Problem Solving, Gavin Duffy, Sheryl Sorby, Steven Nozaki, Brian Bowe

Conference papers

While spatial aptitude is acknowledged as a key cognitive ability that accompanies success in STEM education, less is reported about the qualitative differences between weak and strong visualisers in how they approach and engage with assessments in STEM education. In this paper, we study one particular aspect of the STEM curriculum - solving convergent ‘word’ problems in mathematics - in an attempt to discern quantitative and qualitative differences between the approaches weak and strong visualisers adopt when solving these problems. The paper is a work-in-progress that started with a search for suitable convergent mathematics problems which were then presented to …

Web Tools: Keeping Learners On Pace, Mickey Kosloski

STEMPS Faculty Publications

One of the greatest challenges in teaching technology and engineering is pacing. Some students grasp new technological concepts quickly, while others need repetition and may struggle to keep pace. This poses an obstacle for the technology and engineering teacher, and is particularly true when teaching students to build a website. However, there are a plethora of online tools available that can assist learners in building a website. This article identifies some of the tools that may be used in the classroom and for classroom-oriented, teacher-hosted websites. While specific examples are provided, Web search terms are denoted at the end of …

Investigating First-Year Engineering Students' Educational Technology Use And Academic Achievement: Development And Validation Of An Assessment Tool, Leroy L. Long Iii

Publications

Increasing the number of Americans who graduate with a degree in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is of compelling national interest as the world is becoming more technologically-dependent. As society changes there is a continual need for new devices, tools, and services. Therefore, what is represented as “technology” constantly changes. The underlying meaning of technology is fairly stable, but the term is employed differently across context and application. In society, a variety of technologies are used to provide people with things like food, healthcare, shelter, transportation, and entertainment. In educational settings, computers and other information technologies help individuals learn, …

First-Year Project Experience In Aerospace: Apogee Determination Of Model Rockets With Explicit Consideration Of Drag Effect, Hüseyin Sarper, Drew Landman, Linda Vahala

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper describes a student team project using model rockets and engines to learn engineering solution methods for determining the apogee of model rocket when the drag effect is considered explicitly instead of estimating its effect later. Model rocketry is a powerful tool for instructors who wish to incorporate science, engineering, and mathematics into a fun, engaging, and challenging activity for the students. The apogee can be determined using a number of distinct methods: trigonometry, onboard altimeters, analytical calculations, and simulation. This paper emphasizes numerical analytical solution using spreadsheet programming instead of a full analytical solution that requires higher mathematics. …

How Undergraduates' Involvement Affects Sense Of Belonging In Courses That Use Technology, Leroy L. Long Iii

Publications

In order to increase the number of American degree recipients in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), academics must continually develop ways to improve students’ interest, retention, and success in fields like engineering. Prior researchers have studied the use of educational technology as a way to improve student outcomes and skills. Previous scholars have also investigated students’ perceptions of the usefulness of technology. However, it is unclear if a statistically significant relationship exists between students’ involvement in courses that use technology and their sense of belonging to others on campus. The present study addressed this gap by examining the relationship …

Leading Large-Scale Change In An Engineering Program, Cheryl Allendoerfer, Rebecca Bates, Jennifer Karlin, Ron Ulseth, Dan Ewert

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

While many efforts have been made to improve technical and professional skills in engineering graduates, there has been little comprehensive change in the pedagogy of most engineering education institutions in the U.S. Many of these efforts involve changing only one or two aspects of the curriculum, and therefore are less likely to make significant changes in the student learning outcomes. For better success, engineering curricular changes will need to address the entire education system. In order to see real, sustainable improvement in engineering education practice, both the behaviors of the participants and the systems within which these participants act must …

Virtual Peer Teams: Connecting Students With The Online Work Environment, Thalia Anagnos, Alicia Lyman-Holt, Sean Brophy

Faculty Publications

This study examined the potential of online collaboration tools to develop team cohesiveness and research skills of undergraduates participating in Virtual Peer Teams (VPTs) in a geographically distributed research experience for undergraduates (REU). The VPTs mimic geographically dispersed virtual teams that are now common in industry. VPTs consisted of four to six students from multiple REU sites around the United States who were asked to experiment with various collaboration and social network technologies to complete specified research-based and social tasks. Surveys were used to collect formative and summative feedback. Students agreed their VPT experiences were significant in their professional development …

Optimizing Student Team Skill Development Using Evidence-Based Strategies—Nsf Award 1431694, Matthew Ohland, Misty Loughry, David J. Woehr, Richard Layton, Daniel Ferguson

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Optimizing Student Team Skill Development using Evidence‐Based Strategies NSF Award 1431694 The broad goal of this work is to study the effectiveness of various teamwork training interventions. This research requires the use of a common model of teamwork and a system for training, collecting ratings data, and providing feedback. We will leverage the NSF’s prior investment in the CATME system, which meets the research criteria and automates some of the data collection and feedback, which will aid in executing the research protocol consistently. Seven empirical studies will determine the effect sizes of training, practice in teams, practice rating, and feedback …

Developing And Advancing A Cyberinfrastructure To Gain Insights Into Research Investments: An Organizing Research Framework, Ann Mckenna, Jeremi London, Aditya Johri, Mihaela Vorvoreanu, [email protected] Krishna Madhavan

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Developing and Advancing a Cyberinfrastructure to Gain Insights into Research Investments: An Organizing Research Framework Although the National Science Foundation (NSF) funds approximately 24% of basic research conducted in America’s colleges and universities (NSF), there is little we know about how NSF-­‐funding decisions have resulted in the current research landscape. This gap was the impetus for a project –Deep Insights Anytime, Anywhere (DIA2)— that begins to address this problem by focusing on NSF investments in undergraduate STEM education research, and how education innovations make an impact and diffuse throughout the STEM education community. The project team has designed an information …

Engineering Pathways Of Nontraditional Students—An Update On Nsf Award 1361058, Jaqi Mcneil, Matthew Ohland, Russell Long

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Engineering Pathways of Nontraditional Students—an Update on NSF Award 1361058 A large‐scale longitudinal study of nontraditional engineering students has provided descriptive information about the access, pathways, and success of nontraditional engineering students. Nontraditional students hold the potential to increase not only the number of engineering students, but also the diversity of the engineering student body. This descriptive study laid the groundwork for a larger study of nontraditional student pathways. The study of nontraditional student pathways will reveal patterns in how nontraditional students choose majors, how they migrate, and where they succeed. This study uses the Multiple‐Institution Database for Investigating Engineering …

Tensions Of Integration In Professional Formation: Investigating Development Of Engineering Students' Social And Technical Perceptions, James L. Huff, Brent Jesiek, W. C. Oakes, Carla B. Zoltowski, Kavitha D. Ramane, William Graziano

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Tensions of Integration in Professional Formation: Investigating Development of Engineering Students' Social and Technical PerceptionsTwenty-first century engineers face incredible challenges and opportunities, many of which aresocially complex, transcending the traditional “technical” boundaries of engineering. Thetechnology produced by engineers must not only function as predicted by mathematical andtheoretical models but must also operate beneficially and seamlessly in complex social contexts.In this sense, engineers must embody an integrated social and technical – or sociotechnical –identity rather than a dualistic social/technical one.A growing body of scholarship has discussed how dominant cultures of engineering shapestudents’ and professionals’ understandings of social and technical dimensions of …

Evidence Of Students’ Engineering Learning In An Elementary Classroom, Kristina Tank, Tamara Moore, Bunmi Babajide, Anastasia M Rynearson

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Evidence of Students’ Engineering Learning in an Elementary Classroom Over the past decade there has been an increased emphasis on improving the teaching andlearning of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.With the publication of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in 2013, whichcall for the integration of science and engineering concepts and practices in K-12classrooms, there has also been an increased emphasis on engineering education at the K-12 level. However, given that engineering integration at the elementary level is stillrelatively recent, there is a need for research in the area of engineering education toexamine how these national documents and …

Understanding Diverse Pathways: Disciplinary Trajectories Of Engineering Students: Year 3- Nsf Ree Grant 1129383, Susan M. Lord, Matthew Ohland, Richard Layton

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Engineering as a whole continues to suffer from a low participation of women of all races andBlack, Hispanic, and Native American men. To diversify pathways for students to and throughengineering and to improve student success, we must first know how to measure success andprovide baseline data describing the current situation for all students. Our previous work hasshown that persistence or success varies by race and gender, and how we measure persistencematters in understanding this variation. Once women matriculate in engineering, they graduate insix-years at the same or better rates than their male counterparts of all races. This finding,however, shows considerable …

The Rapid Adoption Of Smarter Teamwork Tools: The System For Management, Assessment, Research, Training, Education, And Remediation For Teamwork, Matthew Ohland, Misty Loughry, Richard Layton, David Jonathan Woehr, Daniel Ferguson

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

The Rapid Adoption of SMARTER Teamwork Tools: the System for Management, Assessment, Research, Training, Education, and Remediation for TeamworkThe rapid adoption of Team-Maker and the Comprehensive Assessment of Team MemberEffectiveness (CATME) tools for team formation and peer evaluation make it possible to extendtheir success to have a significant impact on the development of team skills in higher education.As of October 19, 2014, the web-based systems have been used by more than 300,000 studentsof more than 6000 faculty at more than 1100 institutions in 59 countries—the figure belowshows the growth of the user base at the end of September.This paper and …

Experiential Learning: Student Participation And Future Engagement, Twila Ortiz, Beth M. Holloway, Michael Harris, Andrea Pluckebaum, Leah H. Jamieson

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Experiential Learning: Understanding our Students’ PerspectivesIn 2014, the Gallup-Purdue Index Report examined the relationship between certain collegiateexperiences and workplace engagement. It found that experiences or experiential learningopportunities such as participating in a co-op program, internship or working on projects thatdeveloped over one semester more deeply affect the level of a graduate’s workplace engagementand therefore productivity and overall well-being. While it is apparent how importantexperiential learning can be to the future success and well-being of students, it is more difficultto measure all of the activities that can be labeled as experiential learning and to define whatconstitutes a meaningful experiential learning opportunity.This …

Measuring The Effects Of Pre-College Engineering Experiences, Year 2, Noah Salzman, Matthew Ohland, Monica Cardella

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Measuring the Effects of Pre-College Engineering ExperiencesThe implementation of co-curricular and extracurricular pre-college engineering programs hasexpanded dramatically in recent years. Many states now include engineering as part of theireducation standards for both students and teachers, reflecting the increasing acceptance ofengineering at the K-12 level and its potential value to students. In addition to promotingoutcomes that benefit all students regardless of career aspirations such as increased math andscience achievement and greater technological literacy, K-12 engineering programs have beenidentified as a means of recruiting and retaining potential students in engineering.The growth of pre-college engineering programs means that increasing numbers of incomingengineering students …

Informal Pathways To Engineering: Interim Findings From A Longitudinal Study, Christine Paulsen, Monica Cardella, Tamecia Jones, Marisa Wolsky

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Informal Pathways to Engineering: Interim Findings This study, based on social cognitive career theory, seeks to investigate the effect of informal, out­of­school activities, as well as other factors (self­efficacy, outcome expectations, and personal interests, and intrapersonal factors) on students’ interest in engineering and decisions to engage in engineering­related activities. The study uses a longitudinal design in which children, parents, and educators (classroom teachers, school principals, and informal educators) are interviewed and surveyed over a period of three years (corresponding with the middle school years). Thirty families from Massachusetts and 30 families from Indiana were enrolled in the study in Year …

Exploring Military Veteran Students’ Pathways In Engineering Education, Joyce Main, Catherine Brawner, Susan M. Lord, Catherine Mobley, Michelle Camacho

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Military Veteran Students’ Pathways in Engineering Education (Year 1: Award# 1428646)Military veterans hold tremendous promise for expanding and diversifying the engineeringworkforce. Given the diverse backgrounds of veterans, their increasing numbers, and thegrowing national demand for engineering professionals, the timing is ideal to study theconditions under which student veterans pursue engineering education and the factors that offerthem the greatest support for success. Increasing the participation of veterans in engineeringoffers the possibility of enhancing engineering’s diversity in many needed dimensions since,compared to civilian students, veterans are more likely to be older, first-generation collegestudents, disabled, African American, or Latino. Yet, little is known …

Large-Scale Research On Engineering Design In Secondary Classrooms: Big Learner Data Using Energy3d Computer-Aided Design, Senay Purzer, Robin Adams, Molly Goldstein, K. Anna Douglas

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Large-scale Research on Engineering Design in Secondary Classrooms: Big Learner Data Using Energy3D Computer-Aided Design Through a five-year collaborative project, the Concord Consortium and PurdueUniversity are applying a data-intensive approach to study one of the most fundamental researchtopics in learning sciences: “How do secondary students learn and apply science concepts inengineering design processes?” We have collected more 2GB of structured data from secondaryschool students in Indiana and Massachusetts through automatic, unobtrusive logging of studentdesign processes enabled by a unique CAD tool that supports the design of energy-efficientbuildings using Earth science and physical science concepts. Data includes fine-grainedinformation of student actions, …

Mathematics As A Gatekeeper To Engineering: Preliminary Findings From The Interview Data, Delean Tolbert, Monica Cardella

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

Mathematics as a Gatekeeper to Engineering: Preliminary Findings from the Interview DataResearch suggests that students’ pre-college experience may support or hinder future success inengineering. The experiences that students have had with engineering may shape their perceptionof engineering curriculum at the college level. It may also cause cognitive and learningdissonance, when the ways that a student engaged with engineering activities at the pre-collegelevel do not align with the student’s experiences in the engineering classroom. At a largeMidwestern University with a unique first-year engineering program, first-year engineering andsenior mathematics, engineering, and design students were invited to participate in an openended design task. …

Academic Outcomes Of Cooperative Education Participation, Nichole Ramirez, Joyce Main, Matthew Ohland

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

Academic Outcomes of Cooperative Education ParticipationOutcomes and benefits of cooperative education (co-op) participation have been welldocumented; however, they have focused primarily on grade point averages (GPA) and careeroutcomes. Previous work on predictors of participation shows no significant differences bygender in the aggregate, but there are significant differences by ethnicity and major. Women inMechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering (especially Hispanic women) persist athigher rates than men, possibly indicating that gender becomes significant in academicoutcomes. One reason students may not participate in co-op is the perception of increased time tograduation; however, other benefits may outweigh that. This research furthers the literature byexamining …

Understanding The Communicative And Social Processes Of Engineering Ethics In Diverse Design Teams, Carla B Zoltowski, Patrice Buzzanell, William Charles Oakes, Megan Feister, David Torres

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Understanding the Communicative and Social Processes of Engineering Ethics in Diverse Design Teams As engineering, and specifically engineering design, is increasingly understood to be asocial activity, engineering education’s understanding of ethics needs to reflect this developingawareness. Within engineering and design teams, engineering educators are concerned not onlywith how individual students develop ethically, but also how everyday ethical decision-makingemerges during team interactions and becomes integrated in design solutions. The everydayethics approach calls on engineering educators and students to pay closer attention to the natureof design, how values are embedded in design through micro decision-making processes, andhow these values are reintegrated into …

Engineering / Faculty / Sapp Nelson / Purdue University / 2015, Megan R. Sapp Nelson

Data Information Literacy Case Study Directory

These materials were developed to assist a cohort of early career engineering education faculty to critically consider aspects of data management that they may implement in their developing research groups. These materials were used in the context of a two hour workshop and one hour brownbag. In the brownbag, the results of the Data Information Literacy research grant were discussed as they may be relevant to the early career faculty. The faculty then completed a self-assessment to identify their weak areas of data management and their personal priorities for data management. The two hour workshop was then conducted to assist …