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This paper explores a learning environment that may foster innovation in the engineering curriculum. In this study, the innovation self-efficacy of undergraduate environmental engineering students is explored in a target course before and after a curricular intervention which has been shown to have the potential to enhance innovation self-efficacy. A design mentor and an education mentor outside of the course supported the students through their engineering design process. During the start and end of this curricular intervention, a survey consisting of the Very Brief Innovation Self-Efficacy scale (ISE.5), the Innovation Interests scale (INI), and the Career Goals: Innovative Work scale (CGIW) was administered to measure students’ shift in: 1) Innovation Self-Efficacy, 2) Innovation Interests, and 3) Innovative Work. Formal feedback from the mentors was utilized in interpreting the survey outcomes. Results generated from this survey show a modest increase in innovation self-efficacy. Nevertheless, less impact was found compared to the previous year when innovation attitudes were weaker in the pre-survey.
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Work in Progress: Exploring Innovation Self-Efficacy in Neurodiverse Engineering Students.
It is critical to incorporate inclusive practices in the engineering curriculum which prepares neurodiverse students to achieve their full potential in the workforce. This work-in-progress paper seeks to capitalize on the unique strengths of marginalized neurodiverse engineering students. In this study, the innovation self-efficacy of engineering students who self-identify as neurodiverse is explored before and after a curricular intervention, which has been shown to have the potential to enhance innovation self-efficacy, in an environmental engineering target course. A previously validated Likert-type survey was used, which included the Very Brief Innovation Self-Efficacy scale, the Innovation Interests scale, and the Career Goals: Innovative Work scale. Among the 47 responses on the pre-survey, 13% of the students self-identified as neurodiverse and an additional 19% indicated that they were maybe neurodiverse. This included a much higher percentage of female than male students in the course (23% vs. 5% neurodiverse). There were no significant differences in the pre-survey or post-survey in the innovation self- efficacy and innovation interest among students who self-identified as neurodiverse, maybe neurodiverse, and not neurodiverse. Career goals based on the innovative work scale differed in the pre-survey among the three groups, being lowest among students who self-identified as maybe neurodiverse; there were no differences among the groups in the post-survey. It appeared that there were gains in the innovation self-efficacy between the pre and post-survey among the students who self-identified as neurodiverse and maybe neurodiverse but these differences were not statistically significant. A limitation of the study was the lack of ability to pair the data for individual students and a low number of neurodiverse students in the dataset. This preliminary work calls attention to the need to consider neurodiverse students in our instructional practices. In the future, we hope the research will expand our understanding of a neurodiverse-friendly curricular design in preparation for engineering students with autism spectrum disorder and other types of neurodiversity for the workforce, as well as assisting engineering educators in the adoption of practices that have the tendency to enhance innovation self-efficacy in neurodiverse students.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2205067
- PAR ID:
- 10443657
- Publisher / Repository:
- ASEE PEER
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore, Maryland.
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Innovation Self-Efficacy Neurodiversity Environmental Engineering Innovation Interests scale Career Goals Innovative Work scale
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- https://peer.asee.org/42464
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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