Engineering Identity Development Among International Students in UK Foundation Year
- Conference
- Location
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Portland, Oregon
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2024
- Start Date
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June 23, 2024
- End Date
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July 12, 2024
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division (LEES)
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/47285
Paper Authors
Madeline Polmear
King's College London
orcid.org/0000-0002-7774-6834
Madeline Polmear is a lecturer (assistant professor) in engineering education at King’s College London. Her research interests relate to engineering ethics education and the development of societal responsibility and professional competence through formal and informal learning. Madeline received her Bachelor’s in environmental engineering, Master’s in civil engineering, and PhD in civil engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA. Prior to joining KCL, she was a Marie Sklodowska-Curie, EUTOPIA Science & Innovation Cofund Fellow at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
Abstract
This work in progress paper details the creation of a new module (course) that was designed to foster macroethical and affective development and support students’ engineering identity development. The module is part of a Foundation year for international students wanting to progress into a bachelor’s degree in the UK. The creation of a new required module for engineering students presented the opportunity to imagine a year-long introduction to what engineering is and what it means to be an engineer. The module integrates the Inner Development Goals (IDG), which is a framework of skills and qualities needed to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The IDG were developed from a perspective that technical knowledge is not the limiting factor in addressing the climate crisis and related societal challenges, but rather, it is the emotional and cognitive skills of individuals and organizations to fulfil the vision of the SDG. Learning activities throughout the year were designed to support students’ engineering identity, including the trajectory of their conceptualization and the role, if any, that affective and macroethical considerations play. This work aligns with the LEES conference theme pertaining to personal experiences with integrating liberal arts and engineering to overcome the artificial boundary between social and technical. Although the need for sociotechnical integration and frameworks for related skills are established in the LEES community, IDG provides a novel conceptualization, link to sustainability and other macroethical responsibilities, and affective component that can contribute to a holistic understanding of what is means to be an engineer.
Polmear, M. (2024, June), Engineering Identity Development Among International Students in UK Foundation Year Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47285
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