Capturing First-Year Engineering Students’ Situational  and Individual Interest via a Formal Makerspace Course

Brian Scott Robinson; Thomas Tretter; James E. Lewis; Nicholas Hawkins

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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: First-Year Programs Division (FYP) - Best Of FPD
Tagged Division: First-Year Programs Division (FYP)
Page Count: 21
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43120
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43120
Download Count: 250

Paper Authors

biography

Brian Scott Robinson University of Louisville

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Brian Robinson is an Associate Professor with the Department of Engineering Fundamentals at the University of Louisville. His primary research focus is in Engineering Education, with highest interest in first-year (and beyond) engineering retention & the effects of value-expectancy theory on student persistence.

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Thomas Tretter University of Louisville orcid.org/0000-0003-3144-0431

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Thomas Tretter is professor of science education and director of the Gheens Science Hall & Rauch Planetarium at the University of Louisville. His scholarship includes collaborative efforts with science and engineering faculty targeting retention of STEM majors in entry-level STEM courses.

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James E. Lewis University of Louisville orcid.org/0000-0001-8454-1928

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James E. Lewis, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Fundamentals in the J. B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville. is research interests include parallel and distributed computer systems, cryptography, engineering education, undergraduate retention and technology used in the classroom.

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Nicholas Hawkins University of Louisville orcid.org/0000-0002-2553-9438

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Nick Hawkins is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Fundamentals Department at the University of Louisville. He received his B.S. (2016), M.Eng. (2017), and Ph.D. (2020) in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Louisville. His res

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Abstract

This complete research paper explores two different research questions associated with a larger, more comprehensive research study ultimately aimed at formal makerspace course characterization in conjunction with student interest in engineering and its associated impact on engineering retention. More specifically, this paper is predominantly focused on student perceptions in personal levels of interest triggered by varying fundamental engineering topics and associated activities, in addition to investigating the effectiveness of a formal makerspace course in increasing students’ maintained interest in engineering through the promotion of the various (triggered) situational interests among first-year engineering students. Situational interest refers to environmentally triggered responses, such as focused attention and affective reactions, that are predominantly short-term. Maintained interest refers to beliefs related to the enjoyment and/or usefulness of engineering that are relatively stable across pedagogical settings, which have been shown to be more effective at positively influencing longer-term engineering student retention. While makerspaces have excited considerable interest, much of the research on makerspace impacts and practices have focused on K-12 and informal educational settings. Little is known about how a well-designed makerspace-based engineering course can contribute to first-year students’ persistence in engineering.

The platform for this study is an introductory engineering makerspace course at a Southeastern, public university. The course’s objective is to facilitate the application and integration of fundamental engineering skills. Six course features were identified by course instructors as potential pedagogical features that can activate students’ situational interest: technical writing, hand tool usage, 3D modelling, 3D printing, circuitry, and programming. Other course-related factors were also considered with respect to impact on situational interest, such as, engineering design sub-features, personal satisfaction in proficiency, and teamwork. Participants were 314 first-year, undergraduate students enrolled in the makerspace course during Spring of 2022. From January 2022 to April 2022, students completed a series of surveys that prompted them to reflect on their interest regarding specific course-related experiences and activities. Situational interest surveys were administered immediately following the completion of the feature modules identified above, whereas the maintained interest survey was administered at the end of the course. Surveys regarding other course-related factors were administered throughout the semester at appropriate times. Findings suggested that hand tool usage elicited the highest situational interest among students, whereas technical writing was the lowest. In this sample, maintained interest in engineering did not differ based on student demographic (i.e., age, gender, and race). Additionally, situational interest in all feature modules, with the exception of programming, significantly and positively explained the variance of students’ maintained interest in engineering. The majority of students reported an increase in interest in engineering for all course-related factors. Lastly, implications of these findings and limitations of the study are discussed.

Citation
Format

Robinson, B. S., & Tretter, T., & Lewis, J. E., & Hawkins, N. (2023, June), Capturing First-Year Engineering Students’ Situational and Individual Interest via a Formal Makerspace Course Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43120

TY - CPAPER
AB - This complete research paper explores two different research questions associated with a larger, more comprehensive research study ultimately aimed at formal makerspace course characterization in conjunction with student interest in engineering and its associated impact on engineering retention. More specifically, this paper is predominantly focused on student perceptions in personal levels of interest triggered by varying fundamental engineering topics and associated activities, in addition to investigating the effectiveness of a formal makerspace course in increasing students’ maintained interest in engineering through the promotion of the various (triggered) situational interests among first-year engineering students. Situational interest refers to environmentally triggered responses, such as focused attention and affective reactions, that are predominantly short-term. Maintained interest refers to beliefs related to the enjoyment and/or usefulness of engineering that are relatively stable across pedagogical settings, which have been shown to be more effective at positively influencing longer-term engineering student retention. While makerspaces have excited considerable interest, much of the research on makerspace impacts and practices have focused on K-12 and informal educational settings. Little is known about how a well-designed makerspace-based engineering course can contribute to first-year students’ persistence in engineering.

The platform for this study is an introductory engineering makerspace course at a Southeastern, public university. The course’s objective is to facilitate the application and integration of fundamental engineering skills. Six course features were identified by course instructors as potential pedagogical features that can activate students’ situational interest: technical writing, hand tool usage, 3D modelling, 3D printing, circuitry, and programming. Other course-related factors were also considered with respect to impact on situational interest, such as, engineering design sub-features, personal satisfaction in proficiency, and teamwork. Participants were 314 first-year, undergraduate students enrolled in the makerspace course during Spring of 2022. From January 2022 to April 2022, students completed a series of surveys that prompted them to reflect on their interest regarding specific course-related experiences and activities. Situational interest surveys were administered immediately following the completion of the feature modules identified above, whereas the maintained interest survey was administered at the end of the course. Surveys regarding other course-related factors were administered throughout the semester at appropriate times. Findings suggested that hand tool usage elicited the highest situational interest among students, whereas technical writing was the lowest. In this sample, maintained interest in engineering did not differ based on student demographic (i.e., age, gender, and race). Additionally, situational interest in all feature modules, with the exception of programming, significantly and positively explained the variance of students’ maintained interest in engineering. The majority of students reported an increase in interest in engineering for all course-related factors. Lastly, implications of these findings and limitations of the study are discussed.
AU - Brian Scott Robinson
AU - Thomas Tretter
AU - James E. Lewis
AU - Nicholas Hawkins
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Capturing First-Year Engineering Students’ Situational and Individual Interest via a Formal Makerspace Course
UR - https://peer.asee.org/43120
DO - 10.18260/1-2--43120
ER -