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Teamwork Perception in Engineering Programs through the Lens of Gender and Race

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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

Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY) Technical Session 9

Tagged Divisions

Equity and Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44439

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/44439

Download Count

136

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Paper Authors

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Raheleh Miralami Mississippi State University

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Saeed Rokooei Mississippi State University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-8543-653X

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Saeed Rokooei is an assistant professor in the Building Construction Science program at Mississippi State University. His professional responsibilities include project planning and management as well as architectural design practice in private and public construction and engineering firms. He has taught in architecture and construction programs since 2006.
Dr. Rokooei’s primary research interests include simulation and serious games, project management methodologies, construction education, data analytics, creativity and innovation, and emerging technologies. He is actively pursuing the development of educational techniques and methods in construction. He has developed construction-based simulation applications and strives to bring aspects of project management into simulation applications.

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Tonya W. Stone Mississippi State University

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Tonya Stone is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at MSU. Her research interests include multiscale materials modeling, mechanical behavior and characterization of materials, and modeling of nanomechanics/nanomaterials.

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George D Ford, P.E. Mississippi State University

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Dr. George Ford P.E. is the Director of Mississippi State’s Building Construction Science (BCS) program. Dr. Ford has 15 years of industrial experience including corporate work, and 16 years of teaching experience at the post-secondary level.

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Abstract

Interpersonal skills are increasingly gaining importance in graduates’ qualifications in engineering programs. The interconnected systems of the workflow of engineering products and projects necessitate certain technical and managerial skill sets. The need for multifaceted professionals is highlighted further by the advancement of tools and methods for remote collaboration on projects. The importance of the subject is even more pronounced when underrepresented groups are involved. However, a review of engineering curricula reveals that most courses are delivered on an individual basis, and teamwork is not practiced sufficiently. The lecture-based layout of most engineering courses creates hurdles for teamwork and student collaboration. Therefore, there is a need for a review of teamwork perceptions by engineering students, especially based on gender and race. This study’s objective was to explore students’ perceptions of the different aspects of teamwork. The first phase of this study was conducted in Fall 2022, in which students in the construction, biomedical, and mechanical engineering departments were recruited to participate in a survey on different aspects of teamwork. A quantitative approach was used to tackle essential facets of teamwork and provide content for in-depth exploration. This paper contains two main result sections. The first one addresses similarities and differences between gender-based students’ perceptions. The second section focuses on the perceptions of students from underrepresented groups and highlights distinctions among groups’ responses. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing key aspects of teamwork that can be incorporated into the engineering class layouts. Also, it reports on barriers and shortcomings in team-based practices and activities. The findings of this paper help engineering scholars and educators to design and develop opportunities to inclusively develop teamwork skill sets in engineering students.

Miralami, R., & Rokooei, S., & Stone, T. W., & Ford,, G. D. (2023, June), Teamwork Perception in Engineering Programs through the Lens of Gender and Race Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44439

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