Understanding the Situated Workplace Practices and Habits of Engineers Using Agile Ethnography

Theresa Green; Angela Minichiello; Amy Wilson-Lopez

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: ERM: Conceptualizations of Engineering and Engineering Education
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41055
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/41055
Download Count: 297

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Paper Authors

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Theresa Green Utah State University

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Dr. Theresa Green is a postdoctoral researcher at Utah State University with a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Utah
State University. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University and an M.S. in Mechanical
Engineering from Utah State University. Her research interests include K-12 STEM integration, curriculum development,
and improving diversity and inclusion in engineering.

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Angela Minichiello Utah State University

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Angela (Angie) Minichiello, Ph.D., P. E., is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Education and Adjunct Faculty in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Utah State University. Her research employs asset-based frameworks to improve access, participation, and inclusivity across all levels of engineering education. Angie engages with qualitative, mixed-method, and multi-method approaches to better understand student experience for the ultimate purpose of strengthening and diversifying the engineering workforce. Her most recent work explores the effects of mobile educational technology, online learning and distance education; metacognition and self-regulation, and contemporary engineering practice on engineering student learning and professional identity development. Angie graduated from the United State Military Academy at West Point with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. She later earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D. in engineering education at Utah State University. In 2021, Angie's research earned her a National Science Foundation CAREER Award to critically examine the professional formation of undergraduate student veterans and service members in engineering.

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Amy Wilson-Lopez Utah State University - Engineering Education

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Amy Wilson-Lopez is an associate professor at Utah State University.

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Abstract

This methods paper describes the application of aspects of an emerging methodology, agile ethnography, to study the workplace literacy practices and habits of mind of engineers working in industry. Prior research has suggested that there is a misalignment between what is taught in undergraduate engineering programs and the types of work that engineers do in practice. Students may graduate from undergraduate engineering programs without the knowledge, skills, and strategies that will allow them to be successful as engineers in industry. Traditional ethnographic approaches, which require extensive fieldwork over multiple years at a site, may not be appropriate for conducting research within the fast-paced and fluid environments of contemporary engineering workplaces. As a result, engineering education researchers have argued that new methods, such as agile ethnography, may be necessary for more deeply understanding the work of engineering practitioners in order to bridge the gap between academia and practice.

Agile ethnography consists of participant observation in a workplace context that allows the researcher to be adaptable to rapidly changing situations that occur in a business environment, such as changes in personnel, schedules, or means of access. The researcher can flexibly move between groups, events, and locations without disrupting the research process. This paper describes how aspects of agile ethnographic methods were implemented in a recent qualitative case study that explored the disciplinary literacy practices and habits of mind of practicing engineers. Both disciplinary literacy practices and habits of mind have been suggested as approaches for teaching engineering students the knowledge, skills, and strategies that will prepare them for professional practice.

Researchers worked with eight engineers across eight distinct companies over a period of three years. Data sources included field notes from multiple two-hour on-site observations, one-on-one interviews, think aloud protocols, and workplace artifacts. Each engineer represented one of four engineering disciplinary-related fields (i.e., civil/environmental, mechanical/aerospace, electrical/computer, and chemical/biological) and filled contextualized professional roles (e.g., engineering management, design analysis, process application, and hardware design) within their respective companies.

Findings from this situated study of engineering work provided important insights about conducting ethnographic studies with engineers working in practice. The results of this research provide evidence that emerging types of ethnographic methods, such as agile ethnography, are useful for understanding the knowledge, skills, and strategies of practicing engineers. Overall, this work serves as an example of applying flexible and adaptable ethnographic methods for researching with engineers in the workplace and provides considerations for researchers conducting similar work in the future.

Keywords: agile ethnography, habits of mind, disciplinary literacy, engineering practice

Citation
Format

Green, T., & Minichiello, A., & Wilson-Lopez, A. (2022, August), Understanding the Situated Workplace Practices and Habits of Engineers Using Agile Ethnography Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41055

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This methods paper describes the application of aspects of an emerging methodology, agile ethnography, to study the workplace literacy practices and habits of mind of engineers working in industry. Prior research has suggested that there is a misalignment between what is taught in undergraduate engineering programs and the types of work that engineers do in practice. Students may graduate from undergraduate engineering programs without the knowledge, skills, and strategies that will allow them to be successful as engineers in industry. Traditional ethnographic approaches, which require extensive fieldwork over multiple years at a site, may not be appropriate for conducting research within the fast-paced and fluid environments of contemporary engineering workplaces. As a result, engineering education researchers have argued that new methods, such as agile ethnography, may be necessary for more deeply understanding the work of engineering practitioners in order to bridge the gap between academia and practice. 

Agile ethnography consists of participant observation in a workplace context that allows the researcher to be adaptable to rapidly changing situations that occur in a business environment, such as changes in personnel, schedules, or means of access. The researcher can flexibly move between groups, events, and locations without disrupting the research process. This paper describes how aspects of agile ethnographic methods were implemented in a recent qualitative case study that explored the disciplinary literacy practices and habits of mind of practicing engineers. Both disciplinary literacy practices and habits of mind have been suggested as approaches for teaching engineering students the knowledge, skills, and strategies that will prepare them for professional practice.  

Researchers worked with eight engineers across eight distinct companies over a period of three years. Data sources included field notes from multiple two-hour on-site observations, one-on-one interviews, think aloud protocols, and workplace artifacts. Each engineer represented one of four engineering disciplinary-related fields (i.e., civil/environmental, mechanical/aerospace, electrical/computer, and chemical/biological) and filled contextualized professional roles (e.g., engineering management, design analysis, process application, and hardware design) within their respective companies.  

Findings from this situated study of engineering work provided important insights about conducting ethnographic studies with engineers working in practice. The results of this research provide evidence that emerging types of ethnographic methods, such as agile ethnography, are useful for understanding the knowledge, skills, and strategies of practicing engineers. Overall, this work serves as an example of applying flexible and adaptable ethnographic methods for researching with engineers in the workplace and provides considerations for researchers conducting similar work in the future.   

Keywords: agile ethnography, habits of mind, disciplinary literacy, engineering practice  


AU  - Theresa Green
AU  - Angela Minichiello
AU  - Amy Wilson-Lopez
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Understanding the Situated Workplace Practices and Habits of Engineers Using Agile Ethnography
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/41055
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--41055
ER  -