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This research evaluates the impact of switching college engineering courses from in-person instruction to emergency remote learning among engineering students at a university in the Midwest. The study aimed to answer the question: What were the concerns and perceived challenges students faced when traditional in-person engineering courses suddenly transitioned to remote learning? The goal of this study is to uncover the challenges students were facing in engineering online courses and to understand students’ concerns. Our findings can help improve teaching instruction to provide students with previously unavailable educational assistance for online engineering courses. We collected online survey responses during weeks 8 and 9 of the academic semester, shortly after the COVID-19 shutdown and emergency transition to remote learning in Spring 2020. The survey included two open-ended questions which inquired about students’ feedback about moving the class online, and one two-item scale which assessed students’ confidence in online engineering learning. Data analysis for the open-ended questions was guided by the theoretical framework - Social Cognitive Career Theory [1] that explores how context, person factors and social cognitions contribute to career goals, interests and actions. A phenomenological approach [2] was conducted to understand the experience of these students. Open coding and axial coding [2] methods were used to create initial categories then themes related to students' concerns and challenges. Data from the two-item scale was evaluated using descriptive statistics: means, standard deviations, and ranges. Four main themes with separate sub-categories emerged from the student responses: 1) Instructor’s ability to teach course online (Instructional limitations, Seeking help, Increased Workload), 2) Student’s ability to learn online (Time Management, Lower engagement and motivation, Harder to absorb material, Hard to focus, Worry about performance), 3) Difficulties outside of class (Technology issues), and 4) No concerns. Students seemed more concerned about their ability to learn the material (48% of responses) than the instructor’s ability to teach the material (36% of responses). The instructional limitations or lack of instructional support (22% of responses) and time management (12% of responses) were among the major concerns in the sub-categories. The results from two-item scale indicated participants' s confidence in their ability to master their classroom knowledge was at an intermediate level via online instruction (6/10), and participants' confidence in the instructor's ability to teach knowledge in online classes is moderate to high (7/10). The results align with the open-ended question response in which students were somewhat more concerned about their ability to learn than the instructor’s ability to teach. The themes and analysis will be a valuable tool to help institutions and instructors improve student learning experiences.
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This content will become publicly available on June 1, 2026
Work in Progress: Instructional Strategies to Promote Cognitive Belonging and Engagement in Engineering Courses
This work-in-progress paper explores instructional strategies that may promote cognitive belonging and engagement in engineering courses. Belonging uncertainty contributes to significantly lower than average STEM graduation rates for historically underrepresented students. Lang (2021) posited that if we promote a sense of cognitive belonging in the classroom, i.e., helping students feel like they belong in the courses they are taking, that we can remove a significant barrier to students’ learning. One approach he recommends is designing courses with high amounts of structure, which according to Hogan and Sathy (2022) directly contribute to creating an inclusive classroom. To add more structure to an upper-level architectural engineering course, the following will be implemented into the course: regular and deliberate opportunities for practice, clear instructions and expectations for all assignments and in-class activities, and scaffolding during lectures. In addition to incorporating elements of high structure to promote a more inclusive classroom environment, the following aspects will be incorporated: an inclusive syllabus, classroom participation agreement, and collaborative, in-class learning activities. This combination of high-structure and inclusive strategies will be implemented to promote cognitive belonging, which may also result in demonstrated changes in behavioral and social engagement. The long-term outcome of this work will likely show that these strategies increase cognitive belonging and/or engagement, such that other instructors may consider incorporating these types of changes into their courses to support their students. Zumbrunn et al. (2014) state that a supportive classroom environment will promote feelings of belonging, which leads to several outcomes, including increased engagement. Kahu and Nelson’s (2018) student engagement framework aligns with this claim since belonging is listed as one of the four psychosocial constructs that contribute to engagement. Lastly, according to Bowden et al.’s (2021) four pillars of engagement, the specific forms of engagement most closely related to cognitive belonging are social and behavioral. A mixed methods approach will be used to evaluate if the identified teaching strategies influence cognitive belonging, social engagement, and behavioral engagement. A questionnaire will be administered to all students three times during the semester in which the course is offered. Quantitative data will be obtained from a series of closed-ended questions, while qualitative data will be gathered through the students’ responses to open-ended questions. Additional qualitative data will be collected through in-class observations. The paper will include more details about the instructional strategies implemented, the questionnaire, and the observation protocol. The preferred presentation format for this WIP is a lightning talk.
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- PAR ID:
- 10629901
- Publisher / Repository:
- ASEE Conferences
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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