Understanding how Novice Indian Faculty Engage in Engineering Education Research

Javeed Kittur; Brooke Charae Coley; Nadia N. Kellam

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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: Engineering Education Research Practices and Community
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods
Page Count: 21
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--35423
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/35423
Download Count: 866

Paper Authors

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Javeed Kittur Arizona State University orcid.org/0000-0001-6132-7304

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Javeed Kittur is currently a doctoral student (Engineering Education Systems & Design) at Arizona State University, USA. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a Master's degree in power systems from India in 2011 and 2014 respectively. He has worked with Tata Consultancy Services as Assistant Systems Engineer from 2011-2012, India. He has worked as an Assistant Professor (2014 to 2018) in the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, KLE Technological University, India. He is a certified IUCEE International Engineering Educator. He was awarded the ‘Ing.Paed.IGIP’ title at ICTIEE, 2018.

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Brooke Charae Coley Arizona State University

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Brooke Coley, PhD is an Assistant Professor in Engineering at the Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Dr. Coley is Principal Investigator of the Shifting Perceptions, Attitudes and Cultures in Engineering (SPACE) Lab that aspires to elevate the experiences of marginalized populations, dismantle systematic injustices, and transform the way inclusion is cultivated in engineering through the implementation of novel technologies and methodologies in engineering education. Intrigued by the intersections of engineering education, mental health and social justice, Dr. Coley’s primary research interest focuses on virtual reality as a tool for developing empathetic and inclusive mindsets among engineering faculty. She is also interested in hidden populations in engineering education and innovation for more inclusive pedagogies.

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Nadia N. Kellam Arizona State University

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Nadia Kellam is Associate Professor and Graduate Program Chair in the Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. She is a qualitative researcher who primarily uses narrative research methods to develop critical understandings the experiences of undergraduate engineering students and engineering educators. In addition to teaching undergraduate engineering courses and a graduate course on entrepreneurship, she also enjoys teaching qualitative research methods in the Engineering Education Systems and Design PhD program at ASU. Recently, she and her colleagues published a book, Transformative Teaching: A Collection of Stories of Engineering Faculty’s Pedagogical Journeys.

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Abstract

This work falls under ‘research’ type paper. Unlike engineering research, engineering education research (EER) in India has lacked popularity and acceptance. However, EER is gaining recognition globally, and specifically in India, faculty members housed in traditional engineering programs are starting to engage in EER. This study seeks to understand how faculty members in India with a formal engineering background engage in the process of conducting EER. Of explicit focus is how Indian faculty experience the transition, particularly as they develop the skills required for EER. It is the hope that this work will inform the current practices that guide novice engineering education researchers in India.

This qualitative research study involved four research participants from two different universities in India where EER was valued comparably to engineering research. To address the following research question, How do faculty members housed in traditional engineering programs build, interpret, apply and communicate new knowledge in engaging in engineering education research in India?, four interviews (~ 60 minutes each) were conducted online via Zoom and transcribed. Narrative methodology was employed to prompt participants to elaborate on their novice experience as engineering education researchers. Then, in a conversational phase, semi-structured questions were administered as a way of ensuring the desired information was addressed. The Boyer’s Model of Scholarship was used as a theoretical framework to guide this research study as a structural model aligning with modes of scholarship with faculty members’ engagement in EER.

First-cycle coding was conducted in two iterations. In the first iteration, the open coding method was used to explore the data. In the second iteration, in vivo coding was used to draw from the participants’ own words as codes. Code mapping was later applied to assemble and organize codes generated in the first-cycle coding process. In second-cycle coding, pattern coding was used to identify relationships between different categories and subcategories of the data. Detailed analytic memos were written at different stages of the coding process to document and reflect on the code choices and to learn more about the emergent categories and subcategories in the data. The themes that emerged from this study were: motivations to pursue EER; processes followed in EER; professional development required for transition; factors influencing the conduction of EER; challenges in conducting EER; and suggestions for novice engineering education researchers. Complete details on each of these themes will be presented in the full paper.

Counter to identifying as mixed-methods researchers, faculty members were more oriented towards quantitative research, which could result from similarities between quantitative approaches and traditional engineering research. Additionally, despite their reliance on quantitative methods, faculty lacked prior training and/or experience designing survey instruments as well as validity and reliability tests. It was also found that a lack of understanding the field influenced faculty members’ resistance to engaging in EER. This work initiates identification of process intervention points that, if addressed, could serve to enhance the transition to engaging in EER for Indian faculty, and potentially other novice faculty, in general.

Citation
Format

Kittur, J., & Coley, B. C., & Kellam, N. N. (2020, June), Understanding how Novice Indian Faculty Engage in Engineering Education Research Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35423

TY - CPAPER
AB - This work falls under ‘research’ type paper. Unlike engineering research, engineering education research (EER) in India has lacked popularity and acceptance. However, EER is gaining recognition globally, and specifically in India, faculty members housed in traditional engineering programs are starting to engage in EER. This study seeks to understand how faculty members in India with a formal engineering background engage in the process of conducting EER. Of explicit focus is how Indian faculty experience the transition, particularly as they develop the skills required for EER. It is the hope that this work will inform the current practices that guide novice engineering education researchers in India.

This qualitative research study involved four research participants from two different universities in India where EER was valued comparably to engineering research. To address the following research question, How do faculty members housed in traditional engineering programs build, interpret, apply and communicate new knowledge in engaging in engineering education research in India?, four interviews (~ 60 minutes each) were conducted online via Zoom and transcribed. Narrative methodology was employed to prompt participants to elaborate on their novice experience as engineering education researchers. Then, in a conversational phase, semi-structured questions were administered as a way of ensuring the desired information was addressed. The Boyer’s Model of Scholarship was used as a theoretical framework to guide this research study as a structural model aligning with modes of scholarship with faculty members’ engagement in EER.

First-cycle coding was conducted in two iterations. In the first iteration, the open coding method was used to explore the data. In the second iteration, in vivo coding was used to draw from the participants’ own words as codes. Code mapping was later applied to assemble and organize codes generated in the first-cycle coding process. In second-cycle coding, pattern coding was used to identify relationships between different categories and subcategories of the data. Detailed analytic memos were written at different stages of the coding process to document and reflect on the code choices and to learn more about the emergent categories and subcategories in the data. The themes that emerged from this study were: motivations to pursue EER; processes followed in EER; professional development required for transition; factors influencing the conduction of EER; challenges in conducting EER; and suggestions for novice engineering education researchers. Complete details on each of these themes will be presented in the full paper.

Counter to identifying as mixed-methods researchers, faculty members were more oriented towards quantitative research, which could result from similarities between quantitative approaches and traditional engineering research. Additionally, despite their reliance on quantitative methods, faculty lacked prior training and/or experience designing survey instruments as well as validity and reliability tests. It was also found that a lack of understanding the field influenced faculty members’ resistance to engaging in EER. This work initiates identification of process intervention points that, if addressed, could serve to enhance the transition to engaging in EER for Indian faculty, and potentially other novice faculty, in general.
AU - Javeed Kittur
AU - Brooke Charae Coley
AU - Nadia N. Kellam
CY - Virtual On line
DA - 2020/06/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Understanding how Novice Indian Faculty Engage in Engineering Education Research
UR - https://peer.asee.org/35423
DO - 10.18260/1-2--35423
ER -