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Developing an Engineering Identity through Immersive Design Challenges in Academic Makerspaces: A Qualitative Case Study

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Conference

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Tampa, Florida

Publication Date

June 15, 2019

Start Date

June 15, 2019

End Date

June 19, 2019

Conference Session

ERM Technical Session 7: Learning and Research in Makerspaces

Tagged Division

Educational Research and Methods

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

24

DOI

10.18260/1-2--32636

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/32636

Download Count

739

Paper Authors

biography

Juan Torralba University of Miami

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Juan Torralba is a PhD student in STEM education and educational researcher at the University of Miami. His research focus is on equity in STEM education, with specific interest in access to opportunity for minoritized students.

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biography

Rob Rouse Southern Methodist University

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Rob is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Southern Methodist University's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. In addition, Rob is the Interim Director of the SMU Maker Education Project, a project based out of the Caruth Institute of Engineering Education at SMU's Lyle School of Engineering.

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Abstract

Developing an Engineering Identity through Immersive Design Challenges in Academic Makerspaces: A Qualitative Case Study

In this paper, we developed a lens through which the development of an engineering identity, situated within an academic makerspace, can be analyzed. This lens draws from the literature in the Maker Movement in higher education, legitimate peripheral participation within communities of practice, and engineering identity development in undergraduate engineering programs. We used the existing frameworks in the literature to develop one that considered social and physical space, expert and novice interactions, and dimensions known to impact identity formation, to better understand how the engineering identities of undergraduate engineering students changed through participation in a design challenge, situated within an academic makerspace. In this paper, we take an ethnographic approach to describe such changes in three contrasting cases, where engineering identity development was impacted by space, interactions, and the participants’ accountable disciplinary knowledge. We discuss the implications of our findings on the field of engineering education, the "leaky" pipeline in engineering programs, and women in engineering as an underrepresented group.

Torralba, J., & Rouse, R. (2019, June), Developing an Engineering Identity through Immersive Design Challenges in Academic Makerspaces: A Qualitative Case Study Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32636

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