The Relationship between Mental Health, Professional Identity, and Perceptions of Inclusion in Project-Based Engineering Programs

Lin Chase; Rob Sleezer

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 6
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 10
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/48130
Download Count: 1

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Paper Authors

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Lin Chase Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Lin Chase is an experienced executive with an extensive track record in the successful application of artificial intelligence technologies in complex business environments. She has spent thirty years developing emerging software and telecommunications technologies in the commercial world.

Lin earned a B.S. in Physics and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Robotics at Carnegie Mellon University. She was then awarded the NATO/NSF postdoctoral fellowship which she took to CNRS in Paris. Afterwards she served in a series of international leadership roles with speech technology companies including SpeechWorks International (Director of European Operations), Rhetorical Systems (VP Marketing and Partnerships, and NeoSpeech (CEO). She then joined Accenture as a Senior Executive (Partner), where she founded both the firm’s R&D organization in India and a joint venture with Cisco in the data center space. Since 2010, Lin has been running the Silicon Valley based technology consulting firm Big Tech Strategy and Woo Factor Music, a production music studio.

In 2021 Lin joined Minnesota State University, Mankato as director of their new entirely project-based undergraduate program in computer science.

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Rob Sleezer Minnesota State University, Mankato orcid.org/0000-0003-0753-2707

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Rob Sleezer earned his Ph.D. in Microelectronics-Photonics from the University of Arkansas. He attended Oklahoma State University where he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.S. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He is currently a faculty in the Twin Cities Engineering program of Minnesota State University, Mankato.

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Abstract

Background: This research paper extends previously reported work on engineering stress culture (ESC) in the context of project-based learning engineering programs. Our previous work, which mirrored a study conducted by Jensen and Cross on this topic, showed that students in project-based engineering programs report less stress and depression, stronger personal vision of an engineering career, more positive perceptions of department caring and diversity, and greater pride in their department compared to the student population in the original study. No statistically different effects were found for reported anxiety or engineering identity between the two populations in our previously reported work.

Purpose: Our goal is to continue the comparative replication of Jensen and Cross’s study by establishing a baseline correlation between mental health, professional identity, and perceptions of inclusion among students in entirely project-based engineering and computer science programs.

Design/Method: We gather data from students pursuing engineering and computer science degrees delivered in entirely project-based learning environments. We use the validated instrument developed by Jensen and Cross as well as methodology informed by their original study. In doing so we establish baseline correlations between mental health, professional identity, and inclusion in the context of project-based learning environments in engineering and computer science.

Results: We present results from statistical analyses reporting correlations between measures of mental health, professional identity, and perceptions of inclusion among students working towards undergraduate engineering degrees in project-based learning environments. We compare these correlations with those found in the original Jensen and Cross study. Our results show that although students in our project-based programs experience less stress and depression overall than the population studied by Jensen and Cross, there is a significant difference in correlation between these two factors, as well as between stress and anxiety when comparing the two populations. Results also indicate a significant difference in correlation between department diversity and department caring among project-based students population when compared with the Jensen and Cross population, and similarly with the correlation between engineering career and engineering identity.

Conclusions: Some correlations between mental health, engineering identity, and and department inclusion measures are significantly different in the project-based student population than in the population studied by Jensen and Cross. These results, especially when interpreted in the context of our previous work, may have implications for further research into how the structure of project-based learning programs influence these correlations and related overall outcomes.

Citation
Format

Chase, L., & Sleezer, R. (2024, June), The Relationship between Mental Health, Professional Identity, and Perceptions of Inclusion in Project-Based Engineering Programs Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/48130

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - 



Background: This research paper extends previously reported work on engineering stress culture (ESC) in the context of project-based learning engineering programs. Our previous work, which mirrored a study conducted by Jensen and Cross on this topic, showed that students in project-based engineering programs report less stress and depression, stronger personal vision of an engineering career, more positive perceptions of department caring and diversity, and greater pride in their department compared to the student population in the original study. No statistically different effects were found for reported anxiety or engineering identity between the two populations in our previously reported work.

Purpose: Our goal is to continue the comparative replication of Jensen and Cross’s study by establishing a baseline correlation between mental health, professional identity, and perceptions of inclusion among students in entirely project-based engineering and computer science programs.

Design/Method: We gather data from students pursuing engineering and computer science degrees delivered in entirely project-based learning environments. We use the validated instrument developed by Jensen and Cross as well as methodology informed by their original study. In doing so we establish baseline correlations between mental health, professional identity, and inclusion in the context of project-based learning environments in engineering and computer science.

Results: We present results from statistical analyses reporting correlations between measures of mental health, professional identity, and perceptions of inclusion among students working towards undergraduate engineering degrees in project-based learning environments. We compare these correlations with those found in the original Jensen and Cross study. Our results show that although students in our project-based programs experience less stress and depression overall than the population studied by Jensen and Cross, there is a significant difference in correlation between these two factors, as well as between stress and anxiety when comparing the two populations. Results also indicate a significant difference in correlation between department diversity and department caring among project-based students population when compared with the Jensen and Cross population, and similarly with the correlation between engineering career and engineering identity. 

Conclusions: Some correlations between mental health, engineering identity, and and department inclusion measures are significantly different in the project-based student population than in the population studied by Jensen and Cross. These results, especially when interpreted in the context of our previous work, may have implications for further research into how the structure of project-based learning programs influence these correlations and related overall outcomes.


AU  - Lin Chase
AU  - Rob Sleezer
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2024/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - The Relationship between Mental Health, Professional Identity, and Perceptions of Inclusion in Project-Based Engineering Programs
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/48130
ER  -