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Promoting Research Quality to Study Mental Models of Ethics and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Engineering

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Conference

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Baltimore , Maryland

Publication Date

June 25, 2023

Start Date

June 25, 2023

End Date

June 28, 2023

Conference Session

Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Tagged Division

Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

18

DOI

10.18260/1-2--43983

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/43983

Download Count

347

Paper Authors

biography

Justin L. Hess Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-1210-9535

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Dr. Justin L Hess is an assistant professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Dr. Hess’s research focuses on empathic and ethical formation in engineering education. He received his PhD from Purdue University’s School of Engineering Education, as well as a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science from Purdue University’s School of Civil Engineering. He is the editorial board chair for the Online Ethics Center, deputy director for research for the National Institute of Engineering Ethics, and past-division chair for the ASEE Liberal Education/Engineering and Society division.

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Andrew Katz Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Andrew Katz is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. He leads the Improving Decisions in Engineering Education Agents and Systems (IDEEAS) Lab, a group that uses multi-modal data to characterize, understand, a

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Isil Anakok Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Ms.Anakok is Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. She has a Ms. degree in Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, and Bs. in Mechatronics Engineering from Kocaeli University, Turkey.

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Brent K. Jesiek Cornell University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0003-3056-5144

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Dr. Brent K. Jesiek is Professor in the Schools of Engineering Education and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University.

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Andrew Whitehead

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Andrew Whitehead received his Master's of Science from Purdue University's School of Engineering Education in Fall 2022. His research interests include diversity, equity, and inclusion and empathy within the engineering pedagogy.

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Sowmya Panuganti Purdue Engineering Education

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Abstract

This paper seeks to identify and share research quality considerations associated with studying engineering faculty members’ and engineering practitioners’ mental models of ethics and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in engineering. Our overarching research objective is to generate and synthesize mental models held by experts in ethics and DEI in engineering or engineering education. In this paper, we describe validation considerations to promote research quality with respect to “making data” and “handling data” when studying mental models. We share and rationalize decisions and iterations to research procedures that occurred during the study design and implementation. Specifically, we depict how these shifts aligned with six research quality considerations: theoretical validation, procedural validation, pragmatic validation, communicative validation, ethical validation, and process reliability. As one example, we expound upon procedural validation considerations for making data, wherein we continuously questioned and revised the flow and structure of the interview by 91) seeking and integrating internal feedback (i.e., team) and external feedback (i.e., advisory board), (2) creating memos after each interview, and (3) continuously discussing interview experiences and procedural adjustments. We offer the instrumentation (i.e., the interview protocol included as an Appendix) for cultivating conversations on ethics and DEI in engineering classrooms, amongst engineering faculty bodies, or throughout engineering organizations. Lessons from this study will also guide other researchers who study similarly complex mental models in engineering.

Hess, J. L., & Katz, A., & Anakok, I., & Jesiek, B. K., & Whitehead, A., & Panuganti, S. (2023, June), Promoting Research Quality to Study Mental Models of Ethics and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Engineering Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43983

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