Board 294: First-Year Engineering Students’ Desired Practices in Mechanical Engineering

Jingfeng Wu; Shannon M. Clancy; Erika Mosyjowski; Shanna R. Daly; Lisa R. Lattuca; Joi-Lynn Mondisa

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topics: Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42800
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42800
Download Count: 189

Paper Authors

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Jingfeng Wu University of Michigan

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Jingfeng Wu is currently a PhD student at the University of Michigan majoring in Engineering Education Research. She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from University of Calgary in Canada, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering at Chang'an University in China. Her research interests include engineering identity, design thinking, and engineering professional development.

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Shannon M. Clancy University of Michigan orcid.org/0000-0003-2779-0746

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Shannon M. Clancy (she/they) is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Her current research focuses on idea development and ideation tools, divergent thinking, and engineering curricular practices and culture. Her research interests include front-end design practices, sociotechnical knowledge and skills in engineering, and queer student experiences in engineering. Their work is motivated by their passion for and experiences with inclusive teaching and holistic mentorship of students, seeking to reimagine what an engineer looks like, does, and who they are, especially for queer folks, women, and people of color, through empowerment, collaboration, and co-development for a more equitable world. Shannon is also a Senior Graduate Facilitator and Lab Manager with the Center for Socially Engaged Design.

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Erika Mosyjowski University of Michigan

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Erika Mosyjowski is the Research and Faculty Engagement Manager in the Center for Socially Engaged Design within University of Michigan College of Engineering. She earned a PhD and MA in Higher Education from Michigan and a Bachelor's in Psychology and Sociology from Case Western Reserve University.

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Shanna R. Daly University of Michigan orcid.org/0000-0002-4698-2973

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Shanna Daly is an Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She has a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University.

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Lisa R. Lattuca University of Michigan orcid.org/0000-0003-1547-5992

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Lisa Lattuca, Professor of Higher Education and member of the Core Faculty in the Engineering Education Research Program at the University of Michigan. She studies curriculum, teaching, and learning in college and university settings, particularly how fac

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Joi-Lynn Mondisa University of Michigan orcid.org/0000-0002-3959-6548

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Joi Mondisa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering and an Engineering Education Faculty Member at the University of Michiganâ€“Ann Arbor. Dr. Mondisa holds a PhD in Engineering Education, an MS in Industrial

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Abstract

Engineering requires comprehensive skills, including both technical and socio-technical skills. However, the engineering practices that are introduced in coursework tend to predominantly emphasize the technical skillsets. Research has shown that the perception of engineering as a technical-only field can alienate students who hold beliefs in communal goals, even though they achieve excellent academic performance in their engineering coursework (Stevens et al., 2008; Danielak et al., 2014). Such research findings point to the need for developing greater understanding of the types of skills and practices that could potentially invite students to particular disciplines within engineering. Thus, our research focuses on understanding the aspects of engineering practices that first year students describe as important to their reasons for pursuing mechanical engineering.

To explore this question, we drew on a subset of data from our larger multi-methods study, analyzing data from in-depth interviews with four first-year students interested in pursuing mechanical engineering at a research-intensive university in North America .Through these semi-structured interviews, we focused on students’ motivations for pursuing engineering, their first-year course experiences, and their own interests and goals in engineering.

The findings revealed that the students felt motivated to pursue mechanical engineering to engage in various practices, including technical analysis, design work, societal impact, collaboration, and communication skills. The findings demonstrate diverse practices that drew different students to pursue engineering as a major and a career. Compared to their course experiences, students expressed interest in more focus on developing socio-technical and communication-based skills. These findings contribute to our understanding of how engineering courses can recognize and provide development opportunities for diverse engineering practices, ultimately supporting students in achieving their goals as engineers. Work from this project was funded by an NSF grant within the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) in the EHR Core Research (ECR) program.

Citation
Format

Wu, J., & Clancy, S. M., & Mosyjowski, E., & Daly, S. R., & Lattuca, L. R., & Mondisa, J. (2023, June), Board 294: First-Year Engineering Students’ Desired Practices in Mechanical Engineering Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42800

TY - CPAPER
AB - Engineering requires comprehensive skills, including both technical and socio-technical skills. However, the engineering practices that are introduced in coursework tend to predominantly emphasize the technical skillsets. Research has shown that the perception of engineering as a technical-only field can alienate students who hold beliefs in communal goals, even though they achieve excellent academic performance in their engineering coursework (Stevens et al., 2008; Danielak et al., 2014). Such research findings point to the need for developing greater understanding of the types of skills and practices that could potentially invite students to particular disciplines within engineering. Thus, our research focuses on understanding the aspects of engineering practices that first year students describe as important to their reasons for pursuing mechanical engineering.

To explore this question, we drew on a subset of data from our larger multi-methods study, analyzing data from in-depth interviews with four first-year students interested in pursuing mechanical engineering at a research-intensive university in North America .Through these semi-structured interviews, we focused on students’ motivations for pursuing engineering, their first-year course experiences, and their own interests and goals in engineering.

The findings revealed that the students felt motivated to pursue mechanical engineering to engage in various practices, including technical analysis, design work, societal impact, collaboration, and communication skills. The findings demonstrate diverse practices that drew different students to pursue engineering as a major and a career. Compared to their course experiences, students expressed interest in more focus on developing socio-technical and communication-based skills. These findings contribute to our understanding of how engineering courses can recognize and provide development opportunities for diverse engineering practices, ultimately supporting students in achieving their goals as engineers.

Work from this project was funded by an NSF grant within the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) in the EHR Core Research (ECR) program.

AU - Jingfeng Wu
AU - Shannon M. Clancy
AU - Erika Mosyjowski
AU - Shanna R. Daly
AU - Lisa R. Lattuca
AU - Joi-Lynn Mondisa
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Board 294: First-Year Engineering Students’ Desired Practices in Mechanical Engineering
UR - https://peer.asee.org/42800
DO - 10.18260/1-2--42800
ER -