Scholarly Works, Engineering Education
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- Working towards emotionally responsive student support: an exploration of the emotions that surface when navigating undergraduate engineering educationJosiam, Malini; Jurkiewicz, Jazmin; Lee, Walter C. (Taylor & Francis, 2025-03-04)Engineering education is brimming with obstacles and opportunities that evoke emotions in students. The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the emotions that surface when students in the United States discuss how they navigate engineering. We used a psychoevolutionary approach to emotion and conducted 26 semi-structured interviews at one institution with undergraduate engineering students. We analyzed student interviews using a priori codes from an emotion wheel and emergent codes related to the context of their emotions. We found these relationships between emotions and their contexts: 1) an engineering course load and being marginalized in engineering are both emotionally uncomfortable; 2) peers and instructors can cause both comfortable and uncomfortable emotions; and 3) future career plans provide emotional comfort. To most effectively support undergraduate students, practitioners should be aware of these emotional realities so they can provide more emotionally responsive support to students.
- ”The only difference is now it counts:” Exploring the Role of a Summer Bridge Program in Shaping Student Expectations of EngineeringJohnson, Taylor; Josiam, Malini; Lee, Walter C. (ASEE Conferences, 2023-02)The College of Engineering at Virginia Tech hosts a five-week program for incoming students each summer, also known as a summer bridge program (SBP). As part of the program, first-time-in-college students become acclimated with the university setting and community prior to the start of their academic career. Students take non-credit courses in subjects that are historically challenging and required for first-year students, such as calculus, chemistry, and engineering fundamentals. Throughout the program, students also participate in informational seminars presented by various offices on campus to understand the range of opportunities and resources available to them. In light of participation occurring prior to the official start of the semester, the purpose of this paper is to explore the role of this program in shaping the expectations that participating students have of the undergraduate engineering program. To address this purpose, we analyzed a) written student responses from a workshop activity, b) data from semi-structured interviews that occurred after the workshop, and 3) responses to an exit survey administered at the conclusion of the five-week program. Combined, these data sources shed light on expectations students developed by the end of the program. We found that students emerged from the SBP with varying degrees of expectations regarding the alignment between the SBP experience and a college semester in engineering. We also found that students’ experiences and observations led them to recognize that marginalization exists in engineering while they also viewed engineering as a level playing field. We uncovered that when asked how they would respond to challenging situations, students relied on what they learned about during the SBP. Finally, we conclude with questions based on a transition theory in student development for practitioners to consider when developing or implementing a SBP.
- Development of Social Impact Considerations during Engineering InternshipsJosiam, Malini; Vicente, Sophia; Johnson, Taylor (IEEE, 2023-05)Internships are known to be valuable experiences for engineering students, as they provide students with hands-on engineering experience and development of professional skills. However, less is known about internships in terms of how they develop engineering students' skills related to social impact considerations. In this work in progress paper, we conducted semi structured interviews with 10 engineering students who participated in engineering internships during the previous summer. Our preliminary results indicate that while students believe that engineers should consider the social impact of their work, those same engineering students are not always equipped with the tools to discuss the social impact of their internship projects. Thus, we demonstrate a need for more intentional development of connections between engineering work and social impact during internships and in engineering curriculum.
- Work in Progress: Navigating Undergraduate Engineering as a Woman of ColorJosiam, Malini; Johnson, Taylor; Ausman, Michelle; Lee, Walter C. (IEEE, 2023-10)We are interested in understanding the complexities associated with student navigation of engineering. As part of a study associated with a larger project, we interviewed five upper division, undergraduate women of color in engineering during the Fall 2022 semester. In this paper, we present preliminary results from one participant, Nadia, and discuss the codebook development process. Insights from this paper can inform practice and research. Notably, it can help develop more responsive support structures in engineering for students from marginalized groups, specifically WOC. Furthermore, insight about codebook development can help inform qualitative research practices in engineering education.
- Work in Progress: Development of a Situational Judgment Inventory for Marginalized Student SupportJosiam, Malini; Turner, Artre; Lee, Walter C. (IEEE, 2023-10)We are developing a Situational Judgment Inventory (SJI) to reveal student strategies for navigating the undergraduate engineering learning environment. In this paper, we discuss the development of the SJI. As part of our development process, we identify nine categories that capture students' typical responses. Implementation of the SJI will a) allow students to become familiar with common scenarios they may encounter in engineering; and b) aid support practitioners, such as instructors and advisors, and administrators, such as associate deans and department heads, in better understanding common student navigation strategies for navigating their respective learning environment.
- Using a Summer Bridge Program to Develop a Situational Judgment Inventory: From Year 1 to Year 2Josiam, Malini; Lee, Walter C. (ASEE Conferences, 2024-02-25)The College of Engineering at [University] offers a comprehensive five-week summer program known as a summer bridge program (SBP) for incoming students. The primary objective of this program is to familiarize first-time-in-college students with the university environment and community, setting them up for success in their academic journey. During this period, students engage in non-credit courses that cover subjects typically deemed challenging and necessary for first-year students, including calculus, chemistry, and engineering fundamentals. In addition to these courses, over the course of the program, students actively participate in informative seminars conducted by different campus offices, providing them with a comprehensive understanding of the wide array of opportunities and resources available to support their them during their academic journey. In the previous year, we organized a workshop during the SBP with a total of 60 participating students. The purpose of this workshop was to gauge students' reactions to a series of open-ended scenarios that reflected potential opportunities and constraints commonly encountered in the field of engineering. Students were given the opportunity to respond to these scenarios both individually and in groups, with each group assigned four unique scenarios. To further enhance our understanding, we also conducted interviews with 11 students. By analyzing the individual and group responses, along with the interview data, we developed a Situational Judgment Inventory (SJI), aggregating students’ open ended responses into closed-ended responses to the scenarios. The primary objective of this SJI is to promote better alignment between students' navigational tendencies and the expectations of professionals regarding students' navigational approaches within the learning environment. The purpose of this presentation is to provide a comprehensive overview of our instrument refinement process and present preliminary findings regarding the anticipated navigational approaches of incoming engineering students. To address this purpose, we conducted a 90-minute workshop with SBP students, where we administered the piloted SJI containing the closed-ended responses we developed earlier. The primary purpose of piloting the SJI was to understand how to enhance the instrument's accuracy in capturing the full spectrum of navigational tendencies that students possess and expect to employ prior to commencing their engineering studies. The quantitative analysis of the pilot results will not only identify areas of improvement for the instrument but also contribute to our understanding of how incoming students anticipate navigating the field of engineering.
- Responsive Support Structures for Marginalized Students in Engineering: Insights from Year 4Lee, Walter C.; Josiam, Malini (ASEE Conferences, 2024-06-23)The purpose of this NSF CAREER project is to advance understanding of the navigational strategies used by undergraduate engineering students from marginalized groups. Our poster will present an overview of our results from complete data collection at one site and a snapshot of the tool we developed to assess students’ navigation strategies. Over the past year, we concluded data collection at our first site. We interviewed upper division undergraduate students, talking to them about their experiences as engineering students and the opportunities and obstacles they encountered in engineering education. We then analyzed this data using two different approaches. First, we took an emotions-centered approach, investigating the contexts in which emotion words naturally surfaced in students as they talked about navigating engineering. Then we took a person-centered approach, uncovering how personal characteristics simplify or complicate navigating through the engineering learning environment. We looked at a subset of the interviews to understand the experiences of Women of Color (WOC) investigating how WOC thrive in engineering. Further analysis to understand the role of personhood in navigating is ongoing. We also finalized a situational judgment inventory (SJI), piloting the instrument we developed in the previous year and fine tuning based on pilot results. Our SJI is a multiple choice scenario assessment tool that contains one sentence scenarios with one sentence response options. Our final SJI contains 19 scenarios with 5 response options for each scenario. The scenarios are within the following domains: academic performance, faculty and staff interactions, extracurricular involvement, peer-group interactions, professional development, and special circumstances. We will share details about the instrument development process, final instrument, and preliminary results from instrument dissemination with undergraduate engineering students. Moving forward, we will interview undergraduate students at institutions beyond our primary data collection site to better understand how institutional context plays a role in student navigation of the engineering learning environment.
- Understanding the Effects of a Math Placement Exam on Calculus 1 Enrollment and Engineering PersistenceRyan, Olivia; Sajadi, Susan; Barrera, Sergio; Jaghargh, Reza Tavakoli (MDPI, 2025-01-26)Educational institutions are grappling with declining enrollments and low mathematical achievements. This study investigates how a math placement exam (ALEKS) influences enrollment in Calculus 1 and student persistence, taking into account academic preparation and demographic factors. It also evaluates the effects of remedial math courses for students near the placement cutoff. Using Astin’s input–environment–outcome model, this study analyzed data from 3380 students employing a Kitagawa-Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition and fuzzy regression discontinuity. These methods were used to identify unexplained differences across demographic groups and capture outcomes near the math placement cutoff. Based on the findings, a cutoff of 80% for the ALEKS exam is appropriate. This study underscores the role of math placement exams in shaping engineering enrollment and student success. These findings prompt reevaluating placement strategies and support mechanisms, particularly for URM, first-generation, and female students, to enhance equity and retention in engineering.
- Dimensions of wisdom perception across twelve countries on five continentsRudnev, M.; Barrett, H. C.; Buckwalter, W.; Machery, E.; Stich, S.; Barr, K.; Bencherifa, A.; Clancy, Rockwell F.; Crone, D. L.; Deguchi, Y.; Fabiano, E.; Fodeman, A. D.; Guennoun, B.; Halamova, J.; Hashimoto, T.; Homan, J.; Kanovsky, M.; Karasawa, K.; Kim, H.; Kiper, J.; Lee, M.; Liu, X.; Mitova, V.; Nair, R. B.; Pantovic, L.; Porter, B.; Quintanilla, P.; Reijer, J.; Romero, P. P.; Singh, P.; Tber, S.; Wilkenfeld, D. A.; Yi, L.; Grossmann, I. (Nature Portfolio, 2024-08-14)Wisdom is the hallmark of social judgment, but how people across cultures recognize wisdom remains unclear—distinct philosophical traditions suggest different views of wisdom’s cardinal features. We explore perception of wise minds across 16 socio-economically and culturally diverse convenience samples from 12 countries. Participants assessed wisdom exemplars, non-exemplars, and themselves on 19 socio-cognitive characteristics, subsequently rating targets’ wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Analyses reveal two positively related dimensions—Reflective Orientation and Socio-Emotional Awareness. These dimensions are consistent across the studied cultural regions and interact when informing wisdom ratings: wisest targets—as perceived by participants—score high on both dimensions, whereas the least wise are not reflective but moderately socio-emotional. Additionally, individuals view themselves as less reflective but more socio-emotionally aware than most wisdom exemplars. Our findings expand folk psychology and social judgment research beyond the Global North, showing how individuals perceive desirable cognitive and socio-emotional qualities, and contribute to an understanding of mind perception.
- Evidence-Based Practice: Looking Good When It Matters: How Engineering Students Regard the Virtue Ethics FrameworkVan Tyne, Natalie C. T. (2024-06-23)
- Examining Faculty and Student Perceptions of Generative AI in University CoursesKim, Junghwan; Klopfer, Michelle; Grohs, Jacob R.; Eldardiry, Hoda; Weichert, James; Cox, Larry A., II; Pike, Dale (Springer, 2025-01-24)As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT become more capable and accessible, their use in educational settings is likely to grow. However, the academic community lacks a comprehensive understanding of the perceptions and attitudes of students and instructors toward these new tools. In the Fall 2023 semester, we surveyed 982 students and 76 faculty at a large public university in the United States, focusing on topics such as perceived ease of use, ethical concerns, the impact of GenAI on learning, and differences in responses by role, gender, and discipline. We found that students and faculty did not differ significantly in their attitudes toward GenAI in higher education, except regarding ease of use, hedonic motivation, habit, and interest in exploring new technologies. Students and instructors also used GenAI for coursework or teaching at similar rates, although regular use of these tools was still low across both groups. Among students, we found significant differences in attitudes between males in STEM majors and females in non-STEM majors. These findings underscore the importance of considering demographic and disciplinary diversity when developing policies and practices for integrating GenAI in educational contexts, as GenAI may influence learning outcomes differently across various groups of students. This study contributes to the broader understanding of how GenAI can be leveraged in higher education while highlighting potential areas of inequality that need to be addressed as these tools become more widely used.
- Seed Grant Programs to Promote Community Transformation in Higher Education InstitutionsFleming, Gabriella Coloyan; Cobb, Sydni Alexa; Watson, Del; Boklage, Audrey; Borrego, Maura; Contreras, Lydia; Julien, Christine (MDPI, 2024-10-16)Used in higher education for many decades, seed grants are now beginning to be applied as a strategy to advance diversity, equity and inclusion goals, including rebuilding community post-pandemic. There is little research on the effectiveness of seed grants for such communal goals. This work is innovative in two key ways. First, these seed grants focus on promoting a strong sense of community at the institution rather than promoting individual investigators and research projects. Second, engaging students and staff as principal investigators (PIs) disrupts power structures in the academy. We present a systematic analysis of seed grant project reports (n = 45) and survey data (n = 56) from two seed grant programs implemented at the same institution. A diverse set of projects was proposed and funded. Projects had a positive impact on awardees and their departments and colleges. Seed grant program activities were successful at building community among awardees and recognizing individual efforts. Most noteworthy are the career development opportunities for graduate students, postdocs and staff, which are afforded by changes to PI eligibility. We conclude that seed grant programs have the potential for organizational learning and change around community building in higher education.
- Structural Impediments Impacting Early-Career Women of Color STEM Faculty CareersWoods, Johnny C.; Lane, Tonisha B.; Huggins, Natali; Leggett Watson, Allyson; Jan, Faika Tahir; Johnson Austin, Saundra; Thomas, Sylvia (MDPI, 2024-05-28)Women of Color faculty continue to experience many challenges in their careers, especially in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. As such, more research is needed that considers structural issues inhibiting their success. Using structuration theory and critical race feminism as a conceptual framework, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 faculty and administrators in STEM departments at higher education institutions to investigate their perceptions of structural impediments impacting early-career Women of Color STEM faculty careers. Our findings revealed the need to establish policies that are clear, documented, and transparent. Additionally, incremental approaches to tenure and promotion evaluations should be reconsidered, especially when this approach may position Women of Color faculty to appear as if they are underperforming, when the opposite may be true. Furthermore, as higher education institutions endeavor to diversify the professoriate, this study is significant in enabling institutions and STEM departments to be aware of systemic issues confronting them to make significant inroads in retaining and advancing Women of Color faculty in these disciplines.
- Exploring Students’ Experiences with Mindfulness Meditations in a First-Year General Engineering CourseMartini, Larkin; Huerta, Mark Vincent; Jurkiewicz, Jazmin; Chan, Brian; Bairaktarova, Diana (MDPI, 2024-05-29)With growing mental health concerns among college students, they need to effectively develop skills to alleviate stress amidst the demands of university life. Teaching mindfulness skills to engineering students early in their programs, such as during introductory courses, may provide students with the tools they need to effectively cope with academic stressors, support well-being, and mitigate mental health concerns. This study aimed to understand the variation in experiences of engineering students who participated in weekly mindfulness meditation during a first-year cornerstone engineering course. This study used a thematic analysis approach to analyze students’ in-class, weekly reflections from eight meditation exercises across two course sections. The frequency of codes and themes were then analyzed across meditation types to identify trends in student experiences. Our results show that the most common student experience from engaging in mindfulness meditation was feeling less stressed, calmer, and more relaxed. Other positive experiences include feeling more energized and focused. Some students, however, did report some negative experiences, such as distress and tiredness. The Dynamic Breathing exercise, in particular, showed higher rates of negative experiences than other meditation types. The results also demonstrate that different types of meditations produce different student experiences. Meditation exercises with open monitoring components showed higher rates of insight/awareness and difficulty focusing attention than focused attention meditations. These findings indicate that utilizing weekly mindfulness exercises in introductory engineering courses can benefit students’ overall mental health and well-being when adequately implemented.
- Inspiring Sustainability in Undergraduate Engineering ProgramsGriesinger, Tina; Reid, Kenneth; Knight, David; Katz, Andrew; Somers, John (MDPI, 2024-06-13)The number of engineers who are transitioning into environmental sustainability careers is growing, though a gap still exists between the supply and demand. This presents an opportunity for undergraduate engineering students to fulfill the demand as environmental sustainability professionals. This qualitative exploratory study investigated environmental sustainability learning experiences and future career interests in environmental sustainability. The social cognitive theory (SCCT) was utilized as a theoretical lens, exploring undergraduate students’ environmental sustainability interests, related learning experiences and their interest in pursuing a future career in environmental sustainability. Twenty-five undergraduate engineering students in various engineering disciplines were interviewed for this study. Data were analyzed to (1) identify the students’ interest in pursuing a career in environmental sustainability, (2) determine if the students’ interests have changed since they began their undergraduate studies, and (3) explore how learning experiences have impacted the students’ future career choices. The findings posit that exposure to environmental sustainability learning experiences is impactful and plays an important role, impacting the students’ interests in pursuing careers in sustainability. The results reveal that elements such as personal beliefs and salary considerations inspire career choices. This research contributes to addressing the demand for additional working professionals who are prepared to tackle environmental sustainability issues, highlighting the role of learning experiences in shaping students’ career interests.
- Identity Trajectories of Faculty Members through Interdisciplinary STEAM Collaboration Paired with Public CommunicationDesing, Renee M.; Pelan, Renee; Kajfez, Rachel L.; Wallwey, Cassie; Clark, Abigail M.; Gopalakrishnan, Sathya (MDPI, 2024-04-25)Faculty members in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are accustomed to presenting their research findings through journal publications, conference presentations, textbooks, and other academic mediums. However, the audience for these traditional forms of communication are other researchers, which raises concerns about how science research and knowledge are communicated to audiences who have less expertise on these topics. We sought to understand how faculty members develop their identities through collaborative professional development opportunities aimed at growing communication skills to communicate with audiences less familiar with research through interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) activities. We conducted a qualitative, longitudinal study with sixteen STEAM faculty members to explore their identity trajectories as their interdisciplinary cohorts participated in various collaborations to engage with public audiences about their research. Through our analysis, we found that each faculty member’s dominant identity played a significant role in their identity trajectory through their professional development. We observed a significant growth in faculty members’ communication skills, such as learning new presentation techniques to engage others in their research areas of expertise and in their understanding of interdisciplinary STEAM collaboration. Our results provide insights into the identity trajectories of faculty members and how their identity development through these interdisciplinary STEAM collaborations will impact their formal education roles as researchers and teachers moving forward.
- Narrative Characteristics in Refugee Discourse: An Analysis of American Public Opinion on the Afghan Refugee Crisis After the Taliban TakeoverDogan, Hulya; Nguyen, Kiet; Lourentzou, Ismini (ACM, 2024-04-23)The United States (U.S.) military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 was met with turmoil as the Taliban regained control of most of the country, including Kabul. These events have affected many and were widely discussed on social media, especially in the U.S. In this work, we focus on Twitter discourse regarding these events, especially potential opinion shifts over time and the effect social media posts by established U.S. legislators might have had on online public reception. To this end, we investigate two datasets on the war in Afghanistan, consisting of Twitter posts by self-identified U.S. accounts and conversation threads initiated by U.S. politicians. We find that Twitter users’ discussions revolve around the Kabul airport event, President Biden’s handling of the situation, and people affected by the U.S. withdrawal. Microframe analysis indicates that discourse centers the humanitarianism underlying these occurrences and politically leans liberal, focusing on care and fairness. Lastly, network analysis shows that Republicans are far more active on Twitter compared to Democrats and there is more positive sentiment than negative in their conversations.
- Bridging the Gap: Early Education on Robot and AI Ethics through the Robot Theater Platform in an Informal Learning EnvironmentMitchell, Jennifer; Dong, Jiayuan; Yu, Shuqi; Harmon, Madison; Holstein, Alethia; Shim, Joon Hyun; Choi, Koeun; Zhu, Qin; Jeon, Myounghoon (ACM, 2024-03-11)With the rapid advancement of robotics and AI, educating the next generation on ethical coexistence with these technologies is crucial. Our research explored the potential of a child-robot theater afterschool program in introducing and discussing robot and AI ethics with elementary school children. Conducted with 30 participants from a socioeconomically underprivileged school, the program blended STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) with the arts, focusing on ethical issues in robotics and AI. Using interactive scenarios and a theatrical performance, the program aimed to enhance children’s understanding of major ethical issues in robotics and AI, such as bias, transparency, privacy, usage, and responsibility. Preliminary findings indicate the program’s success in engaging children in meaningful ethical discussions, demonstrating the potential of innovative, interactive educational methods in early education. This study contributes significantly to integrating ethical robotics and AI in early learning, preparing young minds for a technologically advanced and socially responsible future.
- Catalyzing Organizational Change for Equity in Graduate Education: A Case Study of Adopting Collective Impact in a College of EngineeringLee, Walter C.; Holloman, Teirra K.; Knight, David B.; Huggins, Natali; Matusovich, Holly M.; Brisbane, Julia (MDPI, 2024-03-10)Graduate education in engineering is an extremely challenging, complex entity that is difficult to change. The purpose of this exploratory research paper was to investigate the applicability of the Collective Impact framework, which has been used within community organizing contexts, to organize the change efforts of a center focused on advancing equitable graduate education within engineering. We sought to understand how the conditions of Collective Impact (i.e., common agenda, backbone organization, mutually reinforcing activities, shared measurement system, and continuous communication) could facilitate the organization of equity-focused change efforts across a college of engineering at a single institution. To achieve this, we took an action research approach. We found the Collective Impact framework to be a useful tool for organizing cross-sectional partnerships to facilitate equity-focused change in graduate education; we also found the five conditions of Collective Impact to be applicable to the higher education context, with some intentional considerations and modifications. Through coordinated efforts, the Collective Impact framework can support the goal of reorienting existing decentralized structures, resource flows, and decision processes to foster bottom-up and top-down change processes to advance equitable support for graduate students.
- How to Interview the Crowd: Enlisting Informal Student Feedback in a Formative Assessment ProcessVan Tyne, Natalie; Soledad, Michelle; Chambers, Benjamin; Goldschneider, Benjamin (ASEE Conferences, 2023-07)