New Orleans, Louisiana
June 26, 2016
June 26, 2016
August 28, 2016
978-0-692-68565-5
2153-5965
Engineering Technology
Diversity
14
10.18260/p.25491
https://peer.asee.org/25491
448
Dr. Leroy L. Long III is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Fundamentals at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. He earned his PhD in STEM Education with a focus on Engineering Education within the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University (OSU). He earned his Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at OSU and his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering at Wright State University. He is a native of Dayton, OH and a graduate of Dayton Public Schools.
Dr. Long’s research interests include: (a) technology use, (b) diversity and inclusion, and (c) retention and success, with a particular focus on students in STEM fields. He has conducted and published research with the Movement Lab and Center for Higher Education Enterprise at OSU.
Dr. Long has taught undergraduates in the First-Year Engineering Program and Department of Mechanical Engineering at OSU and served as a facilitator for both the University Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Young Scholars Program at OSU. Furthermore, he has worked in industry at Toyota and has a high record of service with organizations such as the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) and National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). To contact Dr. Long, email: leroy.long@erau.edu.
In order to increase the number of American degree recipients in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), academics must continually develop ways to improve students’ interest, retention, and success in fields like engineering. Prior researchers have studied the use of educational technology as a way to improve student outcomes and skills. Previous scholars have also investigated students’ perceptions of the usefulness of technology. However, it is unclear if a statistically significant relationship exists between students’ involvement in courses that use technology and their sense of belonging to others on campus. The present study addressed this gap by examining the relationship between technology, students’ class involvement, and their feelings of connectedness to others. This investigation sought to answer the following research questions: (a) Are there differences in undergraduates’ involvement in courses that use technology by college major, race/ethnicity, or gender? (b) Are there differences in undergraduates’ feelings of connectedness to others on campus due to technology by college major, race/ethnicity, or gender? (c) What is the relationship between students’ involvement in technology-based courses and perceptions of technology’s impact on their feelings of connectedness to others on campus? Data was analyzed for close to 500 students using a 2013 national administration of the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology Survey Questionnaire. Findings from this analysis suggest that (a) students who get more involved in courses that use technology are significantly more likely to believe that technology makes them feel connected to others on campus – indicating a sense of belonging, and (b) students who identify as female, part-time or non-engineering majors are more likely to believe that technology makes them feel more connected to others on campus.
Long, L. L. (2016, June), How Undergraduates' Involvement Affects Sense of Belonging in Courses that Use Technology Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.25491
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