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From knowing to doing: Changes in competency beliefs of developing engineers

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Conference

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Minneapolis, MN

Publication Date

August 23, 2022

Start Date

June 26, 2022

End Date

June 29, 2022

Conference Session

ERM: Engineering Identity: (Identity Part 1)

Page Count

16

DOI

10.18260/1-2--41090

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/41090

Download Count

385

Paper Authors

biography

Kelsey Scalaro University of Nevada, Reno

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Kelsey is an engineering education Ph.D. student at the University of Nevada, Reno. She has a master's degree in mechanical engineering and 5 years of experience working in the aerospace industry. Her research focuses on identity development and motivation. After graduation, she plans on teaching project-oriented mechanical engineering classes or returning to industry working in training or retention.

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Indira Chatterjee University of Nevada, Reno

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Derrick Satterfield University of Nevada, Reno

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Derrick Satterfield is a doctoral candidate in Engineering Education at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research focuses on engineering graduate students' experiences and motivation centered on career planning and preparation.

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Ann-Marie Vollstedt University of Nevada, Reno

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Ann-Marie Vollstedt is a teaching assistant professor for the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). Dr. Vollstedt completed her dissertation at UNR, which focused on exploring the use of statistical process control methods to assess course changes in order to increase student learning in engineering. Dr. Vollstedt teaches courses in engineering design as well as statics and runs the Engineering Freshmen Intensive Training Program. She is the recipient of the Paul and Judy Bible Teaching Excellence Award, F. Donald Tibbitt's Distinguished Teaching Award, The Nevada Women's Fun Woman of Achievement Award, and the UNR College of Engineering Excellence Award.

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Jeffrey Lacombe University of Nevada, Reno

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Mackenzie Parker University of Nevada, Reno

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Mackenzie is a doctoral student at the University of Nevada, Reno in the Department of Engineering Education. She received a Master of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the same institution in 2018. Her research explores facets of engineering graduate student experiences relating to professional identity, motivation, work-related stress, and mental health.

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Adam Kirn University of Nevada, Reno

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Abstract

This qualitative research paper explores how undergraduate engineering students think about the development of their engineering identities by recognizing competency needs. Performance/competence, how a student believes they will do performing engineering tasks and understanding engineering content, has been shown to influence how students take on the role identity as an engineer. This study combines role identity and performance/competence with practices of interpretation to understand students needs towards the further development of their engineering identity. The 32 participants in this study are in a four-year long cohort and take part in focus groups at the end of each semester. At the time of this study, participants have been in two to four focus groups and have finished their first or second year of an engineering program. Questions about identity and performance/competence prompted students to share how they conflate their view of themselves as engineers with their current competencies to identify needs. These needs were oriented around learning and applying engineering and are presented by 4 themes. An illustrative example is provided to describe how a participants’ needs in relation to their engineering identity change over time.

Scalaro, K., & Chatterjee, I., & Satterfield, D., & Vollstedt, A., & Lacombe, J., & Parker, M., & Kirn, A. (2022, August), From knowing to doing: Changes in competency beliefs of developing engineers Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41090

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