The Influence of Experiential Learning on Student Professional Development: A Literature Review

Beata Johnson; Joyce B. Main

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Conference: 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access
Location: Virtual On line
Publication Date: June 22, 2020
Start Date: June 22, 2020
End Date: June 26, 2021
Conference Session: Cooperative and Experiential Education Division Technical Session 2 - Development, Assessment, and Impact of Experiential Education
Tagged Division: Cooperative and Experiential Education
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 20
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--35344
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/35344
Download Count: 1138

Paper Authors

biography

Beata Johnson Purdue University at West Lafayette

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Beata Johnson is an Engineering Education Ph.D. student at Purdue University and recipient of an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. She received her BS in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University. Her research interests include extracurricular and experiential learning in engineering education, students' pathways through engineering education, and transition to the workforce.

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biography

Joyce B. Main Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) orcid.org/0000-0002-3984-533X

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Joyce B. Main is Associate Professor of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She received an Ed.M. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. degree in Learning, Teaching, and Social Policy from Cornell University. Dr. Main examines student academic pathways and transitions to the workforce in science and engineering. She was a recipient of the 2014 American Society for Engineering Education Educational Research and Methods Division Apprentice Faculty Award, the 2015 Frontiers in Education Faculty Fellow Award, and the 2019 Betty Vetter Award for Research from WEPAN. In 2017, Dr. Main received a National Science Foundation CAREER award to examine the longitudinal career pathways of engineering PhDs.

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Abstract

This literature review examines the influence of experiential learning through student organization involvement on students’ professional development and career expectations. Prior to students’ transition into the workforce, their socialization into the engineering profession can be shaped by involvement in experiential learning, including student organizations. Previous research has established a breadth of benefits of involvement in student organizations, yet the mechanisms of its influence are less clear, as are the types and extent of involvement that lead to such benefits. Thus, the objective of this review is to further investigate how involvement has been measured and conceptualized in research studies, with a focus on the differential effects of involvement amongst different student populations.

This paper investigates the following research questions: (1) How have forms of involvement been measured and conceptualized in studying the impact of undergraduate students’ out-of-class experiences on their professional development; (2) what mechanisms have been proposed to explain the impact of experiential learning in student organizations on students’ professional development; and, (3) how do participation rates and effects of experiential learning vary across different undergraduate engineering student populations (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, discipline, socioeconomic status)?

Employing a narrative literature review approach, this paper synthesizes current research in engineering education and higher education on experiential learning for undergraduate students, and proposes areas for future research. This review illustrates the challenges in measuring aspects of student involvement, suggesting salient characteristics of involvement that future research might investigate, and identifies types of mechanisms that have been attributed to the influence of involvement, including developing skills, networking with peers, fostering sense of belonging and identity, and encouraging career-related reflection. This review provides insight into the nuance of the breadth of students’ experiences in student organizations to inform future work examining the contextual influence of experiential learning on engineering students’ professional development.

Citation
Format

Johnson, B., & Main, J. B. (2020, June), The Influence of Experiential Learning on Student Professional Development: A Literature Review Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35344

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This literature review examines the influence of experiential learning through student organization involvement on students’ professional development and career expectations. Prior to students’ transition into the workforce, their socialization into the engineering profession can be shaped by involvement in experiential learning, including student organizations. Previous research has established a breadth of benefits of involvement in student organizations, yet the mechanisms of its influence are less clear, as are the types and extent of involvement that lead to such benefits. Thus, the objective of this review is to further investigate how involvement has been measured and conceptualized in research studies, with a focus on the differential effects of involvement amongst different student populations. 

This paper investigates the following research questions: (1) How have forms of involvement been measured and conceptualized in studying the impact of undergraduate students’ out-of-class experiences on their professional development; (2) what mechanisms have been proposed to explain the impact of experiential learning in student organizations on students’ professional development; and, (3) how do participation rates and effects of experiential learning vary across different undergraduate engineering student populations (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, discipline, socioeconomic status)? 

Employing a narrative literature review approach, this paper synthesizes current research in engineering education and higher education on experiential learning for undergraduate students, and proposes areas for future research. This review illustrates the challenges in measuring aspects of student involvement, suggesting salient characteristics of involvement that future research might investigate, and identifies types of mechanisms that have been attributed to the influence of involvement, including developing skills, networking with peers, fostering sense of belonging and identity, and encouraging career-related reflection. This review provides insight into the nuance of the breadth of students’ experiences in student organizations to inform future work examining the contextual influence of experiential learning on engineering students’ professional development.
AU  - Beata Johnson
AU  - Joyce B. Main
CY  - Virtual On line 
DA  - 2020/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Influence of Experiential Learning on Student Professional Development: A Literature Review
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/35344
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--35344
ER  -