The Influence of Disciplinary Background on Peer Reviewers’ Evaluations of Engineering Education Journal Manuscripts
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
- Page Count
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16
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--41046
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/41046
- Download Count
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220
Paper Authors
Kelsey Watts Clemson University
Kelsey Watts is a fifth-year graduate student at Clemson University. She is part of the Engineering Education Research Peer Review Training (EER PERT) team. She has also developed Systems Biology education modules to enhance computational thinking skills in high school students.
Gary Lichtenstein Arizona State University
Gary Lichtenstein, Ed.D. is founder and principal of Quality Evaluation Designs, a firm specializing in education research and evaluation. My intellectual interests include mixed-methods research, program development and evaluation, and engineering education persistence. My expertise includes program evaluation, research design, proposal development, logic models, IRB and communities of practice.
Karin Jensen University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign
Karin Jensen, Ph.D. is a Teaching Associate Professor in bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include student mental health and wellness, engineering student career pathways, and engagement of engineering faculty in engineering education research. She was awarded a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation for her research on undergraduate mental health in engineering programs. Before joining UIUC she completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Sanofi Oncology in Cambridge, MA. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia.
Evan Ko University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign
Evan Ko is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelors degree in Bioengineering and a minor in Material Science and Engineering. On campus, Evan actively participated as an Engineering Ambassador: encouraging younger students’ interest in STEM related fields while changing the definition and conversation of what it means to be an engineer. Evan is very excited to be a part of the engineering education community and hopes to spark the interest of EER within their peer groups and to return to education after industry experience.
Rebecca Bates Minnesota State University, Mankato
Becky Bates received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington. She also received the M.T.S . degree from Harvard Divinity School. She is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Integrated Engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato, home of the Iron Range and Twin Cities Engineering programs.
Lisa Benson Clemson University
Lisa Benson is a Professor of Engineering and Science Education at Clemson University, and the Editor of the Journal of Engineering Education. Her research focuses on the interactions between student motivation and their learning experiences. Her projects include studies of student attitudes towards becoming engineers and scientists, and their development of problem solving skills, self-regulated learning practices, and beliefs about knowledge in their field. Dr. Benson is an American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Fellow, a member of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI), American Educational Research Association (AERA) and Tau Beta Pi, and the 2018 recipient of the Clemson University Class of ’39 Award for Faculty Excellence. She earned a B.S. in Bioengineering (1978) from the University of Vermont, and M.S. (1986) and Ph.D. (2002) in Bioengineering from Clemson University.
Abstract
This is the first of a series of studies that explore the relationship between disciplinary background and the weighting of various elements of a manuscript in peer reviewers’ determination of publication recommendations. Research questions include: (1) To what extent are tacit criteria for determining quality or value of EER manuscripts influenced by reviewers’ varied disciplinary backgrounds and levels of expertise? and (2) To what extent does mentored peer review professional development influence reviewers’ EER manuscript evaluations? Data were collected from 27 mentors and mentees in a peer review professional development program. Participants reviewed the same two manuscripts, using a form to identify strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations. Responses were coded by two researchers (70% IRR). Our findings suggest that disciplinary background influences reviewers’ evaluation of EER manuscripts. We also found evidence that professional development can improve reviewers’ understanding of EER disciplinary conventions. Deeper understanding of the epistemological basis for manuscript reviews may reveal ways to strengthen professional preparation in engineering education as well as other disciplines.
Watts, K., & Lichtenstein, G., & Jensen, K., & Ko, E., & Bates, R., & Benson, L. (2022, August), The Influence of Disciplinary Background on Peer Reviewers’ Evaluations of Engineering Education Journal Manuscripts Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41046
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