Baltimore , Maryland
June 25, 2023
June 25, 2023
June 28, 2023
Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering Division (TELPhE)
12
10.18260/1-2--42648
https://peer.asee.org/42648
251
Michael Robinson received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. His academic experience includes positions as an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Messiah College, and as a Visiting Lecturer at Ashesi University in Ghana. His research interests include autonomous vehicle pedestrian avoidance algorithms as well as the development of threaded hands-on experiments to provide students with effective experiences of key engineering principles.
Clarifying engineering epistemologies is a major aim for engineering education research. Much of the work to date has focused on philosophical considerations and determining students’ epistemological development and beliefs; however, there is still room for clarification about what defines engineering thinking and knowledge and what distinguishes engineering epistemologies from related fields such as natural science and mathematics. This paper analyzes sections from several introductory electrical engineering textbooks spanning roughly 80 years of publication to determine what epistemological beliefs are present. Explicit epistemic statements are compared for consistency to the epistemology implied by text content. Attention is also given to how the content of these textbooks can be classified according to Whitehead’s rhythm of education. It is found that the earliest texts emphasize theory, while modern texts all emphasize analysis. Verbal explanations are minimized over time in favor of worked examples and practice problems. Two texts analyzed emphasize applications and design, but these texts are not typically used as introductory texts in electrical engineering despite covering much of the same content as traditional engineering texts. Recent texts include more differentiation in material in terms of Whitehead’s rhythm of education; however, material is still overwhelmingly confined to the precision stage.
Robinson, M. (2023, June), Analysis of Engineering Textbook Epistemologies Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42648
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