Search for: All records

This work in progress paper presents an assessment framework for an authentic learning activity in augmented reality (AR). Constant changes in technical and societal needs require educational programs to constantly rethink the status quo and explore ways to align future professionals’ formal education with emerging workforce demands. Such is critical for all professions — including those in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. While many may agree on the need to do this, what is less clear is the scholarly approach required for undertaking such an endeavor. Insights from studies associated with the Preparation for the Professions Program led by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching offer a framework used for exploring professional preparation across professions is commonly referred to as the Three Apprenticeships—namely, Apprenticeships of the Head, the Hand, and the Heart. Within engineering-related fields, academic preparation for the profession primarily focuses on technical knowledge; but there is a need for more holistic, integrated learning experiences that involve different kinds of knowledge (Head), skills (Hand), and professional judgment (Heart). This study leverages the Three Apprenticeship framework to assess an integrated learning AEC experience in augmented reality (AR) by using real-time data collected from participants. Using the context of a children’s playground, participants were asked to redesign an existing play structure to better meet the needs of children, parents, and other stakeholders within the community. A five-metric assessment was developed to operationalize the head, hand, and heart constructs in this context and measure participants’ ability to think holistically in an authentic learning experience. These five assessment metrics included cost, time, safety, sustainability, and fun. This paper explores the development of this assessment and shares preliminary findings from the study. 

Providing students with hands-on construction experiences enables them to apply conceptual knowledge to practical applications, but the high costs associated with this form of learning limit access to it. Therefore, this paper explores the use of augmented reality (AR) to enable students in a conventional classroom or lab setting to interact with virtual objects similar to how they would if they were physically constructing building components. More specifically, the authors tasked student participants with virtually constructing a wood-framed wall through AR with a Microsoft HoloLens. Participants were video-recorded and their behaviors were analyzed. Subsequently, observed behaviors in AR were analyzed and compared to expected behaviors in the physical environment. It was observed that students performing the tasks tended to mimic behaviors found in the physical environment in how they managed the virtual materials, leveraged physical tools in conjunction with virtual materials, and in their ability to recognize and fix mistakes. Some of the finer interactions observed with the virtual materials were found to be unique to the virtual environment, such as moving objects from a distance. Overall, these findings contribute to the understanding of how AR may be leveraged in classrooms to provide learning experiences that yield similar outcomes to those provided in more resource-intensive physical construction site environments. 

Although some have called for engineering curricula that fully integrates learning in the head (cognitive), hand (skill), and heart (affective) domains, others acknowledge the difficulty of overhauling existing curriculum to adequately prioritize the ''heart''. The opinions of experts are often consulted to inform curricular changes, but this is rarely compared to the opinions of novices. There is a need for a better understanding of both experts' and novices' perspectives on the role of the ''heart'' in engineering education and in engineering work. With an emphasis on civil engineering, this study uses a convergent parallel mixed methods research design and Shulman's Three Apprenticeships framework to investigate expert and novice perspectives on the priority of affective constructs in undergraduate education and their approach to designing facilities for users with needs different from their own. Data was collected from civil engineering experts and novices at an annual regional civil engineering-focused conference. Results suggest experts and novices may have different perspectives on which values should be emphasized earlier versus later in civil engineering education. Implications of the results from this study suggest that while many values should be emphasized in engineering education, it might be important for educators to emphasize certain values (e.g., compassion) earlier rather than later to assist in the development of a well-rounded engineer. 

The building industry has a major impact on the US economy and accounts for: $1 trillion in annual spending; 40% of the nation’s primary energy use; and 9 million jobs. Despite its massive impact, the industry has been criticized for poor productivity compared with other industries and billions of dollars in annual waste because of poor interoperability. Furthermore, the industry has been approaching a “labor cliff”: there are not enough new individuals entering the industry to offset the vacancies left by an aging, retiring workforce. To remain effective, this critical industry will need to do better with less. In order to prepare civil engineering students for careers in this industry, educators have aimed to replicate the processes associated with real-world projects through design/build educational activities like the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Decathlon, Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD) Tiny House Competition, and DOE’s Challenge Home Competition. These learning experiences help situate civil engineering concepts in an authentic learning environment. Unfortunately, not all universities have the financial resources necessary to fund this type of hands-on project. Technology has the potential to mitigate some of these inequities. Thus, the multi-faceted objective of this project is to: develop mixed reality (MR) technology aimed at sufficiently replicating physical design and construction learning environments to enable access to students at institutions without sufficient resources; and assess the impact of a MR-facilitated cyberlearning environment on promoting cognitive-, affective-, and skill-based learning that occurs during traditional (in-persona) design and construction activities. This research will explore a fundamental question: Can MR technology enable educators to simulate physical design and construction activities at low costs to enable students at all institutions to gain exposure to these types of hands-on learning environments? In order to address this question, we employ an iterative development approach according to Human Centered Design principles to support learning according to the Carnegie Foundation’s Three Apprenticeships Model (i.e., learning related to “Head”, “Hand”, and “Heart”). In order to achieve these aims, the research team uses MR technology (i.e., a Microsoft HoloLens®) to understand the extent to which this mode of education allows students to demonstrate knowledge similar to that which is gained through physical design and construction learning environments. This paper will presents highlights from the first year of this project. 

While the building industry has a major impact on the US economy, it is one that is often criticized for poor productivity and waste resulted from interoperability. Additionally, the impending labor shortage requires that this is industry becomes one that can do more with less in order to remain effective. As part of preparing civil engineering students for careers in this industry and to design/build infrastructure that is responsive to changing societal needs, educators have aimed to replicate the processes associated with real-world projects through design/build educational activities (like the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar Decathlon, Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD) Tiny House Competition, and DOE’s Challenge Home Competition) as part of helping students situate civil engineering concepts in an authentic learning environment. Unfortunately, not all universities have the financial resources necessary to fund these types of hands-on projects. Thankfully, technology has the potential to mitigate some of these inequities. This paper presents an update on a three-year NSF-funded project that aims to: develop mixed reality (MR) technology aimed at sufficiently replicating physical design and construction learning environments to enable access to students at institutions without sufficient resources; and assess the impact of a MR-facilitated cyberlearning environment on cognitive-, affective-, and skill-based learning that occurs during traditional (in-person) design and construction activities. Human Centered Design principles and the tenets of the Carnegie Foundation’s Three Apprenticeships Model (i.e., learning related to “Head”, “Hand”, and “Heart”) inform the design, development, and assessments in this project. Highlights from the first year and future plans will be discussed. 

This “work in progress” showcases the methodological processes underway in Phase II of a three-part study. In its entirety, the study aims to (1) critically assess and evaluate the current research-to-practice cycle as it relates to participation and success of African Americans in engineering and computer science, and (2) set a national agenda for broadening the participation of African Americans in these two fields. Phase II of this study consists of semi-structured interviews with approximately 60 subject-matter experts from the fields of K-12 education, undergraduate education, graduate education, and the engineering and computing workforce. This paper discusses the following processes: a) participant recruitment, screening, and selection, as well as, b) protocol development and piloting. Insights about our methodological approaches might be useful to others developing research designs intended to capture the perspectives of various stakeholders associated with similarly complex and multifaceted issues. 

Over the last 40 years, more than 25 national reports have been published focused on broadening participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Although scholarly literature oftentimes serves as one source of information on how to move forward, national reports—produced by organizations, such as the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and committees, such as the Committee on Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE)—are an underutilized source of insights. This paper presents the results of a quasi-umbrella review of 29 national reports published during 1974–2016. The reports in this analysis included 134 unique recommendations, which were synthesized into four themes, broadly labeled: (1) Practices & Policies, (2) Culture & Climate, (3) Information & Knowledge, and (4) Investments & Commitments. These recommendations have implications for a wide range of stakeholders interested in addressing this longstanding problem, and the findings of this study provide a historical and policy perspective that is useful for informing next steps that will ideally lead to the forms of progress that have been long awaited. 

While broadening participation is a national problem, to date, efforts tend to respond with local solutions. Though valuable, such efforts are insufficient and have only led to incremental progress. If the goal is wide-scale improvements, we argue that there is a need to take a step back and re-examine what has been done in terms of research and practice. Accordingly, the proposed work engages multiples sources to present a nationwide solution to a national problem and, hopefully, spark a change in the demographic trends of engineers and computer scientists—an area where progress has been stagnant. The purpose of this study is to (1) critically evaluate the research-to-practice cycle as it relates to broadening participation; and (2) set a national agenda for broadening the participation of African Americans in engineering and computer science that is informed by existing literature and subject matter experts. To address this purpose, our three-phase project entails the following: (1) a systematic review of the literature on barriers to participation and proposed solutions for each juncture of the education-to-workforce pathway; (2) interviews with subject-matter experts to discuss their professional experiences regarding broadening the participation of African Americans, and what can be done to gain momentum in this regard; and (3) a Delphi study to reach consensus on the key issues, gaps in our understanding, significant questions, and breakdowns in the Innovation Cycle of Educational Practice and Research. This project started in January 2017 and is well underway. Our poster will present a summary of the results from Phase 1, our progress in Phase 2, and plans for Phase 3.