Exploring Making-based Pedagogy in Undergraduate Mezzanine-level Engineering Courses

Michael Scott Sheppard; Shawn S. Jordan; Micah Lande; Ann F. McKenna

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Conference: 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Publication Date: June 23, 2018
Start Date: June 23, 2018
End Date: July 27, 2018
Conference Session: Maker Communities and Authentic Problem Solving
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods
Page Count: 8
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--30492
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/30492
Download Count: 327

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Paper Authors

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Michael Scott Sheppard Jr. Arizona State University orcid.org/0000-0001-5456-802X

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Michael Scott Sheppard is a graduate research associate pursuing a Master of Science degree in Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education Systems and Design at Arizona State University. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science degree from Lynchburg College in 2002, after which he served in the military for six years as a Special Amphibious Reconnaissance Corpsman. Following military service, Michael obtained a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Arizona State University, graduating in 2013. His research interests include veterans in engineering, veterans with service-connected disability, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and human sex trafficking.

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Shawn S. Jordan Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus orcid.org/0000-0002-1639-779X

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SHAWN JORDAN, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He teaches context-centered electrical engineering and embedded systems design courses, and studies the use of context in both K-12 and undergraduate engineering design education. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Education (2010) and M.S./B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University. Dr. Jordan is PI on several NSF-funded projects related to design, including an NSF Early CAREER Award entitled “CAREER: Engineering Design Across Navajo Culture, Community, and Society” and “Might Young Makers be the Engineers of the Future?,” and is a Co-PI on the NSF Revolutionizing Engineering Departments grant “Additive Innovation: An Educational Ecosystem of Making and Risk Taking.” He was named one of ASEE PRISM’s “20 Faculty Under 40” in 2014, and received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Obama in 2017.

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Micah Lande Arizona State University

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Micah Lande, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering programs and Tooker Professor at the Polytechnic School in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He teaches human-centered engineering design, design thinking, and design innovation project courses. Dr. Lande researches how technical and non-technical people learn and apply design thinking and making processes to their work. He is interested in the intersection of designerly epistemic identities and vocational pathways. Dr. Lande received his B.S in Engineering (Product Design), M.A. in Education (Learning, Design and Technology) and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Design Education) from Stanford University.

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Ann F. McKenna Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus

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Ann F. McKenna is a Professor in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and Director of The Polytechnic School at Arizona State University. Prior to joining ASU she served as a program director at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Undergraduate Education, and was on the faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University. Dr. McKenna received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.

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Abstract

This paper is a Work in Progress (WIP). Techniques of engagement and knowledge transfer in the world of engineering education are constantly evolving to meet higher academic expectations of students to solve problems beyond the classroom context. One such evolution is the introduction and utilization of the Maker culture into engineering curricula. Makers brand a modern culture encompassing, but not limited to students and entrepreneurs that are technology-driven toward the creation of physical objects or software to gain a better understanding of engineering properties, concepts, and practical problem-solving skills. This work in progress paper attempts to better understand how the Making culture has become interwoven into the fabric of engineering curricula, the effectiveness of Making as a pedagogical technique, and the influences Making-based pedagogy has on student learning.

In investigating this pedagogical phenomenon, we utilize a case study approach of three mezzanine engineering courses at a large southwestern university. These courses were selected to reflect three distinct required subject areas that fall within the mezzanine. Our protocol included data collection to explore how each of the faculty members teaching the courses define what Making means to them and how it is utilized in their classroom. Our case study includes data collection through interviews, observations, and documents. A multiple case study analysis was conducted, with the unit of analysis being a single course.

Preliminary analysis of the interview data reveals that faculty members have differing opinions of what Making is and how to most effectively apply it within their individual courses. Early results indicate that this is a positive finding, meaning that making can be instantiated in a classroom setting in a variety of ways. Evidence of Making in the engineering curricula is palpable and embeds aspects of engaged and active learning, “building” something to represent concepts as well as connecting to students’ interest. The paper will include a review of the literature that guides this work, an overview of the study design, insights from the data analysis, and a discussion of future work.

Citation
Format

Sheppard, M. S., & Jordan, S. S., & Lande, M., & McKenna, A. F. (2018, June), Exploring Making-based Pedagogy in Undergraduate Mezzanine-level Engineering Courses Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30492

TY - CPAPER
AB - This paper is a Work in Progress (WIP). Techniques of engagement and knowledge transfer in the world of engineering education are constantly evolving to meet higher academic expectations of students to solve problems beyond the classroom context. One such evolution is the introduction and utilization of the Maker culture into engineering curricula. Makers brand a modern culture encompassing, but not limited to students and entrepreneurs that are technology-driven toward the creation of physical objects or software to gain a better understanding of engineering properties, concepts, and practical problem-solving skills. This work in progress paper attempts to better understand how the Making culture has become interwoven into the fabric of engineering curricula, the effectiveness of Making as a pedagogical technique, and the influences Making-based pedagogy has on student learning.

In investigating this pedagogical phenomenon, we utilize a case study approach of three mezzanine engineering courses at a large southwestern university. These courses were selected to reflect three distinct required subject areas that fall within the mezzanine. Our protocol included data collection to explore how each of the faculty members teaching the courses define what Making means to them and how it is utilized in their classroom. Our case study includes data collection through interviews, observations, and documents. A multiple case study analysis was conducted, with the unit of analysis being a single course.

Preliminary analysis of the interview data reveals that faculty members have differing opinions of what Making is and how to most effectively apply it within their individual courses. Early results indicate that this is a positive finding, meaning that making can be instantiated in a classroom setting in a variety of ways. Evidence of Making in the engineering curricula is palpable and embeds aspects of engaged and active learning, “building” something to represent concepts as well as connecting to students’ interest. The paper will include a review of the literature that guides this work, an overview of the study design, insights from the data analysis, and a discussion of future work.
AU - Michael Scott Sheppard Jr.
AU - Shawn S. Jordan
AU - Micah Lande
AU - Ann F. McKenna
CY - Salt Lake City, Utah
DA - 2018/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Exploring Making-based Pedagogy in Undergraduate Mezzanine-level Engineering Courses
UR - https://peer.asee.org/30492
DO - 10.18260/1-2--30492
ER -