investigate the experiences of GTAs in engineering by exploring howGTAs' feelings of autonomy relate to the types of teaching decisions they make. Teachingexperiences in graduate school may influence graduate students' career paths, so exploringmotivation and decision making can allow universities to better support graduate students.This study aimed to answer the following research questions: 1. How autonomous do graduate teaching assistants feel in their teaching duties? 2. How do graduate teaching assistants‟ descriptions of their teaching decisions relate to their perceptions of autonomy?Background and Situation in the LiteratureThe employment of graduate teaching assistants, or GTAs, has been largely motivated by thedesire to allow
like that, but if you want to maintain your career, you’ve got to at least be coasting a little bit. So yeah. There are things that come up and you have to respond to emails about or communicate with your lab about the research that’s going on and things like that.In contrast, case A7 (the same male engineering faculty member who we discussed earlier)arranged an ―informal leave‖ rather than making use of the official parental leave benefit. Heexplained that he is ―very committed to teaching‖ and that one of the reasons he did not enact theleave was his concern of finding a suitable person to take his teaching load: A7 / Engineering / Assistant Professor / Male / Eligible Participant: I was concerned about finding people to fill in. I
AC 2011-408: UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING STUDENT PERCEP-TIONS OF GRADUATE SCHOOL AND THE DECISION TO ENROLLErin Crede, Virginia Tech Erin D. Crede is a PhD candidate at Virginia Tech, where she also completed her B.S and M.S in Aerospace Engineering. Her doctoral research focuses on the social aspects of graduate education in engineering departments with internationally diverse populations using a mixed methods approach.Maura J. Borrego, Virginia Tech Maura Borrego is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She is currently serving a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship at the National Science Foundation. Her research interests focus on interdisciplinary faculty
interdisciplinary contexts. Page 22.1431.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 The Challenge of Returning: Transitioning from an Engineering Career to Graduate SchoolWhile many graduate students have progressed directly from their undergraduate education tograduate school with little or no time passing in between the two, many graduate students havenot followed this pathway. Because of these experiences, “returning” students are different inmany ways from “direct-pathway” students, and these differences can enrich the graduateexperience both for the returning
understand and internalize the vision and mission of the school, andhelping freshmen develop a personal identity as an Engineer. This paper focuses on the latter.Most engineering programs incorporate career exploration as one of the topics in theIntroduction to Engineering course or a separate course or seminar. This Introduction toEngineering course is typically taught as either a discipline-specific course or as a general courseopen to all majors. In both cases the content and delivery of the engineering career explorationtopic is heavily influenced by the faculty member teaching the class. In the Ira A. FultonSchools of Engineering at Arizona State University, there are program-specific Introduction toEngineering courses in which discussion of
Page 22.132.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Academic Preparation in a Co-op Program as a Career Enhancement Tool for International Engineering Graduates in CanadaCo-operative education programs in North America have their origins in engineering schools,beginning with the University of Cincinnati in 1906, and in Canada, at the University ofWaterloo in 1957. Today, Canada provides one of the most widely developed co-op models inthe world, with over 80,000 co-op students enrolled in 83 Canadian institutions in 2009[1]. A co-operative education program is defined here to include one or more paid work terms that post-secondary students fulfill as part of their studies. Participating in
Page 22.1340.4Thomas, personal communication, December 14, 2010). Planning is already in process to boostthese numbers for the 2011 Midwest region meeting at Arkansas Tech in Russelville and the2012 meeting at the Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla.Beyond student chapters, SCC, and region meetings, ASEE has continued to promote studentinvolvement in engineering education through the creation of the “Bring-A-Student” program,which allows students to attend the ASEE Annual Conference without an ASEE membership.Engineering education departments at institutions such as Virginia Tech have organizedworkshops to provide opportunities for graduate and post-doctoral students to explore positionsin academia. In addition, faculty
both environmental and personality factors. The studyuses measures based on career theories such as Social Cognitive Career Theory, which has usedextensively to explore vocational choice in engineering. These theories will be supplementedwith measures of social influence and personality to explain disciplinary choices. In addition,this study considers the climate students are exposed to in the various engineering disciplines.IntroductionPrior research with the MIDFIELD database (a National Science Foundation fundedlongitudinal database containing records of undergraduate students at ten US institutions) hasconcluded that at an average of 57%, the rate of retention to eight semesters in engineering ishigh compared to other disciplines 1
gratitude for the opportunity theywere provided to participate in such a formal and professional activity.We also got feedback from the faculty teaching the second year courses in the variousdepartments. As one faculty member stated, he was "blown away by the quality of thewriting of his students compared to previous years". We discovered that one of the mainreasons the writing of our undergraduates had been so poor was because they didn’t knowhow to utilize library resources to write a research paper. An understanding of the intricaciesof the literature research process is an integral component of any academic pursuit. Theresults we are getting continue to support the concept that if you teach them how to do it, theywill improve their research and
materials, faculty characteristics,student characteristics) leads to the largest student gains in (1) SE learning; (2) interest in SEcareers; and (3) interest in DoD problems and careers?This research is being conducted in the context of 14 “capstone” courses, in most cases as an Page 22.1277.2integrative culminating, project-based course involving teams of students working together onthe development of a product or prototype that addresses a real Department of Defense (DoD)need. Implemented as pilot courses in eight civilian and six military universities, most of whichare members of a SE-focused University Advanced Research Center, or UARC based at
AC 2011-1727: SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING CONTENTION: FACULTYAND STUDENT VIEWSCasey Canfield, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering A recent systems engineering graduate from Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Class of 2010.Brittany Strachota, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering Brittany Strachota is a member of the Class of 2013, studying engineering at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering.Yevgeniya V. Zastavker, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering Yevgeniya V. Zastavker is an Associate Professor of Physics at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. Her research interests lie at the intersection of project-based learning and gender studies with specific emphasis on the curricula and pedagogies
AC 2011-788: SATISFACTION OF FEMALE FACULTY AT TWO-YEARSCHOOLSDavid A. Koonce, Ohio UniversityCynthia D. Anderson, Ohio University Cynthia Anderson is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Graduate Studies at Ohio Uni- versity. In addition to research on community college faculty, Dr. Anderson has published research on inequality, labor markets, rural communities, and gender.Valerie Martin Conley, Ohio University Valerie Martin Conley is director of the Center for Higher Education, associate professor, and coordinator of the Higher Education and Student Affairs program at Ohio University. She is the PI for the NSF funded research project: Academic Career Success in Science and Engineering-Related
. Page 22.1714.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Writing Challenges for Graduate Students In Engineering and TechnologyAbstractGraduate education for most students is the move to deeper exploration of knowledge throughpersonal involvement, primarily through research and writing. By thesis or directed project,many graduate programs in engineering and technology incorporate substantial written research-based projects into the master’s level curriculum to prepare graduates for professional careers orfor further study at the doctoral level. Students in the engineering and technology fields faceseveral challenges in moving to written projects of
faculty members, the pipelineextends through graduate school, an academic appointment, and promotion through the ranks ofassistant, associate, and “full” professor. Interviews of women engineering deans illustrate thelimitations of the pipeline metaphor for describing the careers of female engineering academics.BackgroundThe pipeline metaphor reinforces the myth of linearity in education and career progression. Flowthrough the pipeline is linear, with no provision for changes of direction or speed, and no reentryonce one exits, or “leaks” out of the pipe. While not overtly gendered, the unidirectional,constant flow image of fluid in a pipe is similar to that of the (male) ideal worker who gives fullattention to his job, without distraction or
, and to use this consideration to make moreinformed and reasoned decisions about their academic and professional future. Further, insteadof being a single assignment with an optional resubmit, the project was now broken into fivephases: 1. Creation of a homepage and a brief biography 2. Creation of the six pages for the Six Tools, with reflection on each tool’s meaning, personal goals, and self-assessment 3. Addition of electronic artifacts to each of the six pages and updated self-assessment 4. Creation of page specifically written for one’s academic advisor 5. Refinement of entire portfolio, discussion of progress toward goals, and further personalizationThe project statement for each of the five phases is given as
hired faculty members are all required to have a PhD degreein engineering. Publication and external funding are also important factors when tenure andpromotion are considered. Since the ET programs at Texas A&M University only offer BSdegrees, many faculty members hire graduate students from other departments within the collegeof engineering to help them conduct research work. An increasing number of faculty membersare experimenting with research by undergraduates. There are unique issues related to REU forET students.In addition to the benefits for both students and faculty members, REU can also be used toimprove curriculum. EET faculty members always try to use research results in lectures and labsas real-world examples29-31. Research
. “Typically, full-time faculty are more accessible to students,have offices and office hours, are familiar with the institutional services available to students andhave an understanding of grading and performance norms for the courses they teach. This meansthat students can have a significantly different educational experience, particularly in regard totheir access to faculty members, based on arbitrary scheduling decisions” (pp. 13-14)41.In a study that focused on sequential courses of developmental mathematics and regularmathematics with a focus on instructor status, the results indicated that students who took thefirst course with a part-time instructor followed by a full-time instructor were less likely tocomplete the second course. The data
explored the research questions further by conducting asimilar survey. In our version of the survey, however, we expanded the sample size and collectedmore demographic data about the participants that is intended to provide additional insight intowho values which attributes of global competence and how a person’s experiences affect whichdimensions he or she thinks is important.ObjectivesOur research was conducted to determine which attributes of global competence are mostimportant for an engineer to possess. We believe that a consensus about the definition of globalcompetence will provide engineering universities with a clear direction on which to focus theglobal education of their students. This will hopefully result in their graduates becoming
to be served effectively, it iscritical for us to know something about them. This paper will use detailed demographic datacollected on all Tech to Teaching participants to date in an effort to answer the following primaryresearch questions, with a specific focus on undergraduate and graduate engineering students: • What is the level of interest in STEM teaching careers among engineering students? • What is the most prevalent set of demographics, or “profile” among those interested in STEM teaching careers?1.1.2 Preview of what’s in the paper Page 22.32.3
,more effective marketing is needed to show the connections between engineering and helpingsociety. 22Respected Influencers. These women were influenced in their decision by both family membersand a campus mentor who was particularly influential at Institution B.Family. Half of the women were influenced significantly by members of their families tobecome engineers. In our study, family members who were engineers showed these women thebreadth of the discipline, the job security and the ability to reach career and personal goals. My uncle’s an engineer, a chemical and a mechanical engineer, and if I graduate out of this program, I’ll be the first female chemical engineer in my family, and I think that’s really exciting for me
bachelor or master’s engineering degrees started higher education ina community college. The trend is higher in some states such as California for which more than48% of graduates with science or engineering degrees started at a community college18. Page 22.493.3Conditions in two year colleges present challenges for both students and faculty. Engineeringprograms in two year colleges are typically small. These programs often have only one or twofaculty members who teach courses running the gamut of the engineering curriculum. Facultyteaching loads are high compared to other areas of higher education. Access to facilities such aslaboratories is
skills (e.g., leadership, communication, and teamwork skills)influences graduate school plans as well as the. In addition, while previous studies haveexamined engineering and science students’ plans for engineering graduate school, they have not Page 22.1167.4determined whether those considering engineering graduate study are planning for academic orprofessional careers. I examined the impact of students’ self-assessed abilities on graduate schoolplans leading to a career as an engineering faculty member; as preparation for work in theengineering profession; and for work outside engineering (business, medicine, law, etc.).Specifically, the
Kremer is an Associate Professor of Engineering Design and Industrial Engineering at the Pennsylva- nia State University. She received her Ph.D. from University of Missouri-Rolla in Engineering Manage- ment and Systems Engineering. Her research interests include multi-criteria decision analysis methods applied to improvement of products and systems and enhancing creativity in engineering design settings. Her published work appears in journals such as Journal of Mechanical Design, Journal of Engineering Design, Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, Journal of Engineering Education, European Journal of En- gineering Education and Technovation. She is a member of IIE, ASME, and ASEE. She is also a National Research
they prepared?An issue of concern with including serviceefforts by engineering students inengineering education is that little is Figure 1. Faculty, under pressure from all sides, are theknown about the impacts of such efforts. valve operators for producing the graduates neededWhile some university-level assessments to address requirements of many higher educationhave been conducted,20, 38 coordinated,multi-institution, long-term assessment efforts are just beginning to examine outcomes for allstakeholders (e.g. students, faculty, institutions, and partners). This includes LTS impacts on theABET Criterion 3a-k learning outcomes, students’ self-efficacy, identity, motivation
of this approach in releasing the leader withinis becoming much more clear and compelling. Alumni of this program are now convinced thatthis course has had a profound effect on the way they view the world as an interconnectedsystem, on their role to lead and make a difference, and as a result has changed the way theythink and act. The implications of this research for retaining women in engineering careers aresignificant. Page 22.460.11Since 2003 through fall 2010, 160 students have completed the Leveraging Leadership for aLifetime series of three courses and have graduated. A remaining 170 students are in process
Tools: MS Word, Excel, Matlab, WWW, PowerpointConclusionsIndustry is voicing its concern to all colleges and universities that students must learn tocommunicate more effectively. The pressure is growing from the outside to improve theperformance of graduates. With that discussion can come the ways to at least inform students of theimportance of communication skills in their lives. The gulf between the sciences and the humanitiesmust be bridged and the need for communication skill expertise must be an integral part of everyengineer's existence. Every faculty member must approach the following points with an open mind. 1. The importance of communication skill expertise must
groups so that individuals areable to develop a sense of diversity within an inclusive environment.Defining the ProblemThe supposition that lack of perceived similarity affects the level of career interest and identitydevelopment of Latino/Hispanic engineering students prompts minority engineering programs toarrange for ethnically/racially-themed activities and events. These programs though well-intentioned, aim less at improving math skills or engineering career awareness as much as theyare valued for instilling students’ personal confidence, soft skills, and camaraderie within anenvironment of racially/ethnically like peers. Even while the dictum of these programs is to‘recruit and retain more under-represented minorities’, few activities
significant improvements to ensure some minimal skill setfor entry into the workforce or for future education. However, a limited body of research hasbeen conducted that explores the skill set needs of the construction industry that align with thelifecycle of construction that evolves from a business decision, feasibility analysis, designconstruction, and operations. As the construction industry moves towards a model of fillingmanagement positions with university graduates that come from academic programs that areABET or ACCE accredited (a few universities have both), an evaluation of the need skills offuture university graduates should be from the much broader construction project life cycle
and for professional development of its faculty members at VITUniversity is in line with the international concept of continuous training of faculty members 3. „The shortage of appropriately skilled labour across many industries is emerging as asignificant and complex challenge to India's growth and future. According to the NationalAssociation of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), each year over 3 milliongraduates and post-graduates are added to the Indian workforce. However, of these only 25percent of technical graduates and 10-15 percent of other graduates are considered employableby the rapidly growing IT and ITES(Information Technology Enabled Services) segments.Hence, what we have today is a growing skills gap reflecting
AC 2011-772: THE EFFECT OF PREVIOUS TEAM EXPERIENCES ONSTUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERINGPROBLEMSAlexandra Emelina Coso, Georgia Institute of Technology Alexandra Coso is a graduate student in the Cognitive Engineering Center at Georgia Tech, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering. She received her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from MIT and her M.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia. Her research interests include interdisciplinary engineering education, mixed method research, and cognitive engineering.Reid Bailey, University of Virginia Reid Bailey is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Virginia