Analyzing First-Year Students’ Motivation and Exposure Towards an Advanced Topic During an Introductory Coding Course
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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15
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--41478
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/41478
- Download Count
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316
Paper Authors
Breejha Quezada Purdue Engineering Education
Breejha Sene Quezada is an Engineering Education PhD student at Purdue University.
Tamara Moore Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)
Tamara J. Moore, Ph.D., is a Professor of Engineering Education, University Faculty Scholar, and the Executive Director of the INSPIRE Research Institute for Pre-College Engineering at Purdue University. Dr. Moore’s research is centered on the integration of STEM concepts in K-12 and postsecondary classrooms in order to help students make connections among the STEM disciplines and achieve deep understanding. Her work focuses on defining STEM integration and investigating its power for student learning. She has examined different mechanisms of bringing engineering content and standards into the classrooms that led to a framework for quality K-12 engineering education. Dr. Moore’s team has developed several sets of instructional modules for elementary and middle school learners that employ engineering and literacy contexts to integrate STEM and computational thinking content in meaningful and significant ways. In 2012, she received a U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her work with urban youth. In 2016, she received Purdue University’s Faculty Engagement Scholarship Award for working with teachers and students across the United States on teaching and learning engineering.
Kerrie Douglas Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)
Dr. Kerrie Douglas, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue, studies how to improve the quality of classroom assessments and evaluation of online learning in a variety of engineering education contexts. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and a M.A. in Educational Studies, with focus on school counseling. She is a co-PI on the SCALE project, leading the evaluation and assessment efforts. She recently received an NSF award to study engineering instructor decisions and student support during COVID-19 and impact the pandemic is having on engineering students. She also recently won the prestigious CAREER award from the U.S. National Science Foundation to study increasing the fairness of engineering assessments. In total, she has been on the leadership of more than $24 million dollars in research awards. Her research on evaluation of online learning (supported by two NSF awards #1544259,1935683, ) has resulted in more than 20 peer-reviewed conference and journal publications related to engineering learners in online courses. She was a FutureLearn Research Fellow from 2017-2019; a 2018 recipient of the FIE New Faculty Fellow Award and was the 2021 Program Chair for the Educational Research Methods Division of ASEE.
Amanda Johnston California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Amanda Johnston is a lecturer at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Emily Haluschak Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)
Emily M. Haluschak is a Research Assistant in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Emily primarily works on integrated curriculum for K-2 computational thinking and post-secondary microelectronics workforce development efforts. Her research background is comprised of K-2 student problem scoping and teacher actions in response to implementation of STEM integration in the classroom. Additionally her work in program equity evaluation as part of a graduate degree in education policy led her to refocus on designing curriculum with the goal of expanding access and increasing retention for underserved populations in engineering.
Gavin Bidna Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)
Gavin Bidna is a material science and engineering student at Purdue University interested in the ways scientific phenomena and engineering principles can have a positive effect on the world.
Abstract
The current shortage in many technological fields requires the development of a strategy to train and retain workers who can satisfy industry demands. Embedding the introduction of less-known technological fields into the context of introductory courses is one way to increase student awareness of career opportunities in these high-demand fields. First-Year-Engineering programs have a unique position to be able to give students exposure and possible trajectories that they have the rest of their college career to pursue. Programs are being set up to support interest in niche fields, but students need to be aware of these opportunities in order to take advantage of them. The purpose of this research is to understand how introducing the context of microelectronics into an introductory computing course may provide students awareness of and potential interest in microelectronics as a field of study. The research questions that guide this study are: How do first-year engineering students conceptualize microelectronics after introduction to microelectronics contexts within computer programming learning experiences? To what extent do first-year engineering students connect their interest in and understanding of microelectronics to their future life? Social Cognitive Career Theory was a primary framework to the survey questions that gave insight into student awareness, exposure, and motivation to learning about microelectronics concepts.
Quezada, B., & Moore, T., & Douglas, K., & Johnston, A., & Haluschak, E., & Bidna, G. (2022, August), Analyzing First-Year Students’ Motivation and Exposure Towards an Advanced Topic During an Introductory Coding Course Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41478
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