More Like this

1. Tangibility of representations in engineering courses and the workplace

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20439  

   Barner, Matthew S. ; Adam Brown, Shane ; Bornasal, Floraliza ; Linton, David ( November 2021 , Journal of Engineering Education)

   Situated cognition theory suggests that representations of concepts are products of the environment wherein we learn and apply concepts. This research builds on situated cognition by investigating how concepts are tangible to a professional engineering environment.

   The tangibility of concepts in relation to social and material contexts was defined and explored in this study. Specifically, the conceptual representations of structural loads were examined within workplace and academic environments.

   A researcher conducted ethnographic fieldwork at a private engineering firm and in undergraduate engineering courses. Data sources from this fieldwork included the ethnographer's participant‐observation field notes, formal and informal interviews, and artifact documentation.

   Findings from this study described how academic representations of structural loads are more or less tangible to the social and material contexts of engineering practice. Representations documented in the workplace were found to be tangible to (1) real‐world conditions, (2) project/stakeholder constraints, and (3) engineering tools. Conversely, representations documented in the courses studied exhibited various degrees of tangibility to none, some, or all of these three traits.

   These findings explicitly identify the ways in which representations of structural loads differ across academic and workplace environments and how these differences may contribute to the education–practice gap. Specific suggestions for making academic representations more tangible to workplace environments are provided based on findings from in the workplace, previous engineering education literature, and best practices observed in the courses studied. Future research considerations and the value of ethnographic methodology to situated cognition theory are also discussed.

    

   more » « less
2. Conceptual Representations in the Workplace and Classroom Settings: A Comparative Ethnography

   Barner, M. S. Brown ( June 2019 , ASEE Annual Conference proceedings)

   The following is a Theory paper that presents an ethnographic exploration into how concepts are situated in workplace and classroom settings. Situated cognition research demonstrates that different contexts wherein learning occurs and knowledge is applied shape our conceptual understanding. Within engineering education and practice this means that practitioners, students, and instructors demonstrate different ways of representing their conceptual knowledge due to the different contexts wherein they learn and apply engineering concepts. The purpose of this paper is to present themes on how practitioners, students, and instructors represent fundamental structural engineering concepts within the contexts of structural engineering design. By representation of concepts we mean the ways in which practitioners, students, and instructors portray and demonstrate their conceptual understanding of concepts through the social and material contexts of the workplace and classroom environments. Previous research on learning and engineering education has shown the influence that social and material contexts within these environments have on our knowing and understanding. The researchers use ethnographic methods consisting of workplace and classroom observations, interviews with practitioners, students, and instructors, and documentation of workplace and academic artifacts—such as drawings, calculations, and notes—to access practitioners’, students’, and instructors’ conceptual representations. These ethnographic methods are conducted at a private engineering firm and in 300 and 400 level structural engineering courses. Preliminary results indicate that instructors’ conceptual representations in the classroom aim to enhance students’ broader understanding of these concepts; whereas students’ conceptual representations are focused towards utility in solving homework and exam problems. Practitioners’ conceptual representations are more flexible and adapt to project and workplace constraints. These results seem to indicate that even when instructors emphasize broader conceptual knowledge, the academic incentives behind homework and test scores lead to more academically focused conceptual representations by students. Furthermore, practitioners’ conceptual representations indicate the necessity of conceptual fluency in the workplace, which contrasts with the rigidity of conceptual representations that students develop in the classroom. This comparison between workplace and academic conceptual representations enhances our understanding of the extent to which students, instructors, and practitioners share similar or different conceptual representations within the domain of structural engineering. This, in turn, may lead to guided curriculum reform efforts aimed at better preparing structural engineering students for their professional careers. 

   more » « less
3. How drawing prompts can increase cognitive engagement in an active learning engineering course

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20354  

   Wu, Sally P. W. ; Van Veen, Barry ; Rau, Martina A. ( September 2020 , Journal of Engineering Education)

   Recent engineering education research has found improved learning outcomes when instructors engage students actively (e.g., through practice problems) rather than passively (e.g., in lectures). As more instructors shift toward active learning, research needs to identify how different types of activities affect students' cognitive engagement with concepts in the classroom. In this study, we investigate the effects of prompting novice students to draw when solving problems, a professional practice of engineers.

   We investigate whether implementing instructional prompts to draw in an active learning classroom (a) increases students' use and value of drawing as a problem‐solving strategy and (b) enhances students' problem‐solving performance.

   We compared survey data and exam scores collected in one undergraduate class that received prompts to draw in video lectures and in‐class problems (drawing condition) and one class that received no drawing prompts (control condition).

   After drawing prompts were implemented, students' use and value of drawing increased, and these effects persisted to the end of the semester. Students were more likely to draw when provided drawing prompts. Furthermore, students who received prompts outperformed students who did not on exam questions that target conceptual understanding.

   Our findings reveal how implementing drawing prompts in an active learning classroom may help students engage in drawing and solve problems conceptually. This study contributes to our understanding of what types of active learning activities can improve instructional practices in engineering education. Particularly, we show how prompts that foster authentic engineering practices can increase cognitive engagement in introductory‐level engineering courses.

    

   more » « less
4. Engineering student perceptions of social justice in a feedback control systems course

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20412  

   Leydens, Jon A. ; Johnson, Kathryn E. ; Moskal, Barbara M. ( July 2021 , Journal of Engineering Education)

   Although engineering practice occurs in social contexts, such contexts often remain obscure in engineering education. Since engineering sciences courses are crucial in shaping engineering students' knowledge and conceptions of problem‐solving in engineering, students in both an augmented and a traditional section of a feedback control systems course were interviewed to explore perceptions of the social justice dimensions of engineering.

   This study sought to understand student perceptions of social justice in the context of control systems courses.

   This study used a qualitative, case study methodology. Inductive analysis was used to analyze focus groups and interviews conducted over 3 years.

   Through inductive analysis, we identified three primary interrelated domains: (1) varied descriptions of social justice emerged, (2) diverse perceptions surfaced on how the social and technical dimensions of engineering problems interrelate, and (3) students' conceptions of engineers yielded insight into their perspectives on social justice.

   That students did not vary substantively in perceptions of social justice across course sections suggests that prior knowledge of social justice shaped student perceptions. The findings also indicate that what students value shapes what they are learning and that student perceptions were informed by students' understanding of ethics and of engineering ideologies. These findings imply a need for distributed curricular integration of social justice concepts and for presenting social justice in the context of engineering problem‐solving. Such presentation could reinforce sociotechnical considerations inherent in engineering practice, clearly rendering visible inherent social justice considerations in engineering problems.

    

   more » « less
5. When am I ever going to use this? An investigation of the calculus content of core engineering courses

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20344  

   Faulkner, Brian ; Johnson‐Glauch, Nicole ; San Choi, Dong ; Herman, Geoffrey L. ( July 2020 , Journal of Engineering Education)

   Many engineering students fail to proceed through required prerequisite mathematics courses. Since these courses strongly influence engineering student attrition, we should examine to what degree these courses truly serve as prerequisites for following engineering coursework.

   We examined two research questions: Which concepts and skills learned in calculus are applied in engineering statics and circuits homework assignments? How are calculus skills applied in engineering statics and circuits homework assignments?

   This study analyzes the homework problems of two engineering courses—statics and circuits for nonmajors—using the mathematics‐in‐use method. These courses were chosen since they often require calculus as a direct prerequisite and are taken by most engineering majors. The mathematical content of each homework problem is carefully analyzed, with attention to alternative solution paths that may not match the instructor solution.

   Only 8% of statics problems and 20% of circuits for nonmajors problems applied calculus. Furthermore, these problems applied only the simplest calculus skills (e.g., integration of polynomials).

   Circuits and statics apply relatively little calculus; most problems consist primarily of algebra. We may be able to modify prerequisite structures to ease or speed student progress.

    

   more » « less